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This study investigates the interplay between personality organization, narcissistic configurations, and the subjective experience of emerging adulthood (ages 18–29), contextualized by socioeconomic factors. Drawing on Kernberg's psychostructural model, we analyzed data from 1,079 French emerging adults using the French version of the Inventory of Personality Organization, Pathological Narcissism Inventory, and Inventory of Dimensions of Emerging Adulthood. Cluster analysis identified four personality profiles: integrated (70.6%), neurotic (15.6%), high-functioning borderline (12.4%), and severely disorganized (1.4%). Key findings revealed that 29.4% of participants exhibited personality impairments, with economically inactive/unemployed individuals overrepresented in pathological clusters. Structural personality impairment correlated positively with both grandiose and vulnerable narcissism supporting their intertwined nature as compensatory mechanisms for identity instability. Higher Inventory of Personality Organization scores predicted heightened negativity/instability (Inventory of Dimensions of Emerging Adulthood) and reduced identity exploration, underscoring the role of identity diffusion in maladaptation. Socioeconomic status moderated these relationships, with unemployment or inactivity exacerbating narcissistic defenses and psychosocial distress. Notably, narcissistic traits diminished with age, suggesting improved identity coherence and social integration over time. The study highlights the dual role of narcissism—adaptive in moderate forms but pathological when rooted in identity fragmentation—and emphasizes the need for interventions targeting socioeconomic barriers and identity consolidation. Limitations include self-report biases, gender imbalance (71.92% male), and cross-sectional design, urging future longitudinal and clinically validated research. These findings advance understanding of how structural personality vulnerabilities and contextual factors shape the challenges of transitioning to adulthood.