People believe that they would disobey immoral authority in the Milgram experiment. We asked whet... more People believe that they would disobey immoral authority in the Milgram experiment. We asked whether high (vs. low) communal and agentic narcissists would manifest a more pronounced better-than-average effect (BTAE) in their predicted disobedience. Participants (N = 348) estimated the moment at which they and the average peer would quit the Milgram experiment. High communal narcissists claimed that they would disobey the immoral authority and quit the experiment earlier (positively predicting the BTAE), whereas high agentic narcissists claimed that they, as well as an average other, would obey longer (negatively predicting the BTAE). Differences in the impression management component of socially desirable responding played a role in these links.
The term “dark personalities” or “dark personality traits” refers to a set of traits that are soc... more The term “dark personalities” or “dark personality traits” refers to a set of traits that are socially maladaptive, aversive, undesirable, and malevolent, but not enough so to be considered clinical-level pathology. A social psychology account emphasizes their maladaptiveness in terms of a negative influence on interpersonal relationships, including maximizing personal gains at the expense of others, callousness (Jones and Paulhus 2011), low empathy (Paulhus and Williams 2002), and low commitment to moral values (Jonason et al. 2015). A significant amount of research on the dark personality features has been concentrated around organizational and employment context, mainly due to the costs for individuals and organizations resulting from negative, harmful behaviors or attitudes (Spain et al. 2014). There are many dark personality features but this article will focus on the three most well-known ones called the Dark Triad (DT): narcissism, Machiavellanism and psychopathy. Since narci...
Close your eyes and imagine an ideal leader. What would that image look like? What kind of charac... more Close your eyes and imagine an ideal leader. What would that image look like? What kind of characteristics come to mind? Dominance, confidence, high self-esteem, and extraversion are characteristics that are most commonly associated with people’s image of a leader. Interestingly, narcissistic individuals fit this leader image fairly well, which might explain why they tend to emerge as leaders in groups. However, merely rising to a leadership position is not enough – it matters whether narcissists are effective as leaders. Importantly, in addition to their leader-like characteristics, narcissists possess a host of negative characteristics, such as lack of empathy, exploitativeness, arrogance, inability to deal with criticism, and aggressive tendencies. It is because of these characteristics that the behavior of narcissistic leaders can have negative ramifications for their subordinates, their organizations, or even society at large. In this chapter, we argue that in order to determine whether and when narcissistic leaders are a positive or negative force for those they lead it is imperative to consider contextual factors such as time in leadership position, contextual uncertainty, type of industry, leader’s visibility and ethical climate in the organization, and characteristics of the followers.
The present study examined the relationship of grandiose and vulnerable narcissism with dispositi... more The present study examined the relationship of grandiose and vulnerable narcissism with dispositional anger and hostility. We investigated the roles of neuroticism, emotional intelligence, and gender in this relationship, using a sample of 405 participants. The results indicated that vulnerable narcissism was associated with a higher tendency toward anger and hostility, and that neuroticism accounted for a large part of this association. Poor emotion managing, known as strategic emotion regulation ability, also played a role in hostility related to vulnerable narcissism, especially among men. When emotional stability was controlled for, grandiose narcissism showed links to anger and hostility. We concluded that high neuroticism and poor emotion regulation abilities among vulnerable narcissists contribute to increased anger/hostility, whereas emotional stability likely protects grandiose narcissists against these internal aspects of aggression. The significant relationships between b...
OBJECTIVE The current research comprehensively examined how grandiose and vulnerable narcissism a... more OBJECTIVE The current research comprehensively examined how grandiose and vulnerable narcissism are linked to intelligence and intelligence-related beliefs and emotions. METHOD In four studies (total N = 1141) we tested the associations between both forms of narcissism, subjectively and objectively assessed intelligence, basic personality traits, test-related stress, beliefs about intelligence and well-being. RESULTS Both forms of narcissism (grandiose and vulnerable) were unrelated to objective intelligence. Grandiose narcissism was associated with high self-perceived intelligence (Studies 1-3) and explained more variance in self-perceived intelligence than objective intelligence and the Big Five personality traits. It was correlated with reduced distress in the context of IQ testing and low engagement in cognitive performance (Study 2). Individuals with high grandiose narcissism based their well-being (Study 3) partly on intelligence and considered intelligence important for success in different life domains, especially for social relations (Study 4). Vulnerable narcissism was unrelated to self-perceived intelligence (Studies 1-3) and went along with increased distress in the context of IQ testing (Study 2). CONCLUSIONS The results indicate that the topic of intelligence is of key importance for people with high grandiose narcissism psychological functioning and it also has some relevance for individuals with high vulnerable narcissism.
Personality & social psychology bulletin, Jan 27, 2016
This research investigated effects of narcissism and emotional intelligence (EI) on popularity in... more This research investigated effects of narcissism and emotional intelligence (EI) on popularity in social networks. In a longitudinal field study, we examined the dynamics of popularity in 15 peer groups in two waves (N = 273). We measured narcissism, ability EI, and explicit and implicit self-esteem. In addition, we measured popularity at zero acquaintance and 3 months later. We analyzed the data using inferential network analysis (temporal exponential random graph modeling, TERGM) accounting for self-organizing network forces. People high in narcissism were popular, but increased less in popularity over time than people lower in narcissism. In contrast, emotionally intelligent people increased more in popularity over time than less emotionally intelligent people. The effects held when we controlled for explicit and implicit self-esteem. These results suggest that narcissism is rather disadvantageous and that EI is rather advantageous for long-term popularity.
Abstract The present paper aims to answer the question about actual role of Life History Strategy... more Abstract The present paper aims to answer the question about actual role of Life History Strategy (LHS) as a factor underpinning associations between the Dark Triad (DT) personality and Time Perspectives (TPs). Recently Birkas and Csatho (2015, Personality and Individual Differences, 86, 318–320) provided evidence for some robust associations between these two domains and interpreted them as a product of slow vs. fast LHS. However, their thesis regarding the mediating role of LHS in the associations between the DT and TPs was only speculative. In the present study we administered DT and TP measures (Dirty Dozen and ZTPI), as well as a sociosexuality inventory (SOI-R), which in our study served as an indicator of LHS, in a sample of 329 adults. We aimed to replicate Birkas and Csatho's results separately for each gender, and test for the hypothesized mediation effects. TPs proved related to DT traits, e.g., Future and Past-Positive were both negatively correlated with psychopathy and Machiavellianism. The associations were partly mediated by sociosexuality, but only in females. Our results suggest that LHS may indeed be responsible for the associations between TPs and Dark Triad, however other mechanisms underpinning these relationships need to be taken into account.
The current study provides the first examination of the relationship between life history indicat... more The current study provides the first examination of the relationship between life history indicators and the Dark Triad traits in an international sample drawn from the U.S. ( n = 264), Singapore ( n = 185), and Poland ( n = 177). In all three samples, the Dark Triad traits were associated with psychosocial costs, although there were more links in the Singaporean and Polish samples than in the American sample. In the U.S., the quality of one's romantic relationships and psychopathy were negatively correlated. Narcissism was higher in the Polish and American samples than in the Singaporean sample. Men scored higher than women did regardless of location and the sex difference in the individual differences in life histories was mediated by the Dark Triad composite. Results suggest the Dark Triad are related to a volatile socioecology composed of psychosocial costs in the familial, romantic, and platonic relationships.
This research was aimed to provide a comprehensive test of the classic notion that narcissistic i... more This research was aimed to provide a comprehensive test of the classic notion that narcissistic individuals are appealing as short-term romantic or sexual partners. In three studies, we tested the hypotheses that narcissism exerts a positive effect on an individual’s mate appeal and that this effect is mediated by high physical attractiveness and high social boldness. We implemented a multimethod approach and used ratings of opposite sex persons (Study 1), ratings of friends (Study 2), and records of courtship outcomes in naturalistic interactions (Study 3) as indicators of mate appeal. In all cases, narcissism had a positive effect on mate appeal, which was mainly due to the agentic self-enhancement aspects of narcissism (rather than narcissists’ lacking communion). As predicted, physical attractiveness and social boldness mediated the positive effect of narcissism on mate appeal. Findings further indicated that narcissism was more strongly linked to mate appeal than to friend appeal.
The present experiment (N = 95) investigated the relations of narcissism with social value orient... more The present experiment (N = 95) investigated the relations of narcissism with social value orientation under façade conditions of testing communal or agentic traits (or none - in a control condition). The results indicated that narcissism predicted less willingness to share resources with others and more competitive orientation in a façade communal condition compared to the remaining two conditions: control and agentic. The results confirm narcissistic disregard for communal domain and are consistent with the extended agency model of narcissism and the “success as a drawback” effect.
People believe that they would disobey immoral authority in the Milgram experiment. We asked whet... more People believe that they would disobey immoral authority in the Milgram experiment. We asked whether high (vs. low) communal and agentic narcissists would manifest a more pronounced better-than-average effect (BTAE) in their predicted disobedience. Participants (N = 348) estimated the moment at which they and the average peer would quit the Milgram experiment. High communal narcissists claimed that they would disobey the immoral authority and quit the experiment earlier (positively predicting the BTAE), whereas high agentic narcissists claimed that they, as well as an average other, would obey longer (negatively predicting the BTAE). Differences in the impression management component of socially desirable responding played a role in these links.
The term “dark personalities” or “dark personality traits” refers to a set of traits that are soc... more The term “dark personalities” or “dark personality traits” refers to a set of traits that are socially maladaptive, aversive, undesirable, and malevolent, but not enough so to be considered clinical-level pathology. A social psychology account emphasizes their maladaptiveness in terms of a negative influence on interpersonal relationships, including maximizing personal gains at the expense of others, callousness (Jones and Paulhus 2011), low empathy (Paulhus and Williams 2002), and low commitment to moral values (Jonason et al. 2015). A significant amount of research on the dark personality features has been concentrated around organizational and employment context, mainly due to the costs for individuals and organizations resulting from negative, harmful behaviors or attitudes (Spain et al. 2014). There are many dark personality features but this article will focus on the three most well-known ones called the Dark Triad (DT): narcissism, Machiavellanism and psychopathy. Since narci...
Close your eyes and imagine an ideal leader. What would that image look like? What kind of charac... more Close your eyes and imagine an ideal leader. What would that image look like? What kind of characteristics come to mind? Dominance, confidence, high self-esteem, and extraversion are characteristics that are most commonly associated with people’s image of a leader. Interestingly, narcissistic individuals fit this leader image fairly well, which might explain why they tend to emerge as leaders in groups. However, merely rising to a leadership position is not enough – it matters whether narcissists are effective as leaders. Importantly, in addition to their leader-like characteristics, narcissists possess a host of negative characteristics, such as lack of empathy, exploitativeness, arrogance, inability to deal with criticism, and aggressive tendencies. It is because of these characteristics that the behavior of narcissistic leaders can have negative ramifications for their subordinates, their organizations, or even society at large. In this chapter, we argue that in order to determine whether and when narcissistic leaders are a positive or negative force for those they lead it is imperative to consider contextual factors such as time in leadership position, contextual uncertainty, type of industry, leader’s visibility and ethical climate in the organization, and characteristics of the followers.
The present study examined the relationship of grandiose and vulnerable narcissism with dispositi... more The present study examined the relationship of grandiose and vulnerable narcissism with dispositional anger and hostility. We investigated the roles of neuroticism, emotional intelligence, and gender in this relationship, using a sample of 405 participants. The results indicated that vulnerable narcissism was associated with a higher tendency toward anger and hostility, and that neuroticism accounted for a large part of this association. Poor emotion managing, known as strategic emotion regulation ability, also played a role in hostility related to vulnerable narcissism, especially among men. When emotional stability was controlled for, grandiose narcissism showed links to anger and hostility. We concluded that high neuroticism and poor emotion regulation abilities among vulnerable narcissists contribute to increased anger/hostility, whereas emotional stability likely protects grandiose narcissists against these internal aspects of aggression. The significant relationships between b...
OBJECTIVE The current research comprehensively examined how grandiose and vulnerable narcissism a... more OBJECTIVE The current research comprehensively examined how grandiose and vulnerable narcissism are linked to intelligence and intelligence-related beliefs and emotions. METHOD In four studies (total N = 1141) we tested the associations between both forms of narcissism, subjectively and objectively assessed intelligence, basic personality traits, test-related stress, beliefs about intelligence and well-being. RESULTS Both forms of narcissism (grandiose and vulnerable) were unrelated to objective intelligence. Grandiose narcissism was associated with high self-perceived intelligence (Studies 1-3) and explained more variance in self-perceived intelligence than objective intelligence and the Big Five personality traits. It was correlated with reduced distress in the context of IQ testing and low engagement in cognitive performance (Study 2). Individuals with high grandiose narcissism based their well-being (Study 3) partly on intelligence and considered intelligence important for success in different life domains, especially for social relations (Study 4). Vulnerable narcissism was unrelated to self-perceived intelligence (Studies 1-3) and went along with increased distress in the context of IQ testing (Study 2). CONCLUSIONS The results indicate that the topic of intelligence is of key importance for people with high grandiose narcissism psychological functioning and it also has some relevance for individuals with high vulnerable narcissism.
Personality & social psychology bulletin, Jan 27, 2016
This research investigated effects of narcissism and emotional intelligence (EI) on popularity in... more This research investigated effects of narcissism and emotional intelligence (EI) on popularity in social networks. In a longitudinal field study, we examined the dynamics of popularity in 15 peer groups in two waves (N = 273). We measured narcissism, ability EI, and explicit and implicit self-esteem. In addition, we measured popularity at zero acquaintance and 3 months later. We analyzed the data using inferential network analysis (temporal exponential random graph modeling, TERGM) accounting for self-organizing network forces. People high in narcissism were popular, but increased less in popularity over time than people lower in narcissism. In contrast, emotionally intelligent people increased more in popularity over time than less emotionally intelligent people. The effects held when we controlled for explicit and implicit self-esteem. These results suggest that narcissism is rather disadvantageous and that EI is rather advantageous for long-term popularity.
Abstract The present paper aims to answer the question about actual role of Life History Strategy... more Abstract The present paper aims to answer the question about actual role of Life History Strategy (LHS) as a factor underpinning associations between the Dark Triad (DT) personality and Time Perspectives (TPs). Recently Birkas and Csatho (2015, Personality and Individual Differences, 86, 318–320) provided evidence for some robust associations between these two domains and interpreted them as a product of slow vs. fast LHS. However, their thesis regarding the mediating role of LHS in the associations between the DT and TPs was only speculative. In the present study we administered DT and TP measures (Dirty Dozen and ZTPI), as well as a sociosexuality inventory (SOI-R), which in our study served as an indicator of LHS, in a sample of 329 adults. We aimed to replicate Birkas and Csatho's results separately for each gender, and test for the hypothesized mediation effects. TPs proved related to DT traits, e.g., Future and Past-Positive were both negatively correlated with psychopathy and Machiavellianism. The associations were partly mediated by sociosexuality, but only in females. Our results suggest that LHS may indeed be responsible for the associations between TPs and Dark Triad, however other mechanisms underpinning these relationships need to be taken into account.
The current study provides the first examination of the relationship between life history indicat... more The current study provides the first examination of the relationship between life history indicators and the Dark Triad traits in an international sample drawn from the U.S. ( n = 264), Singapore ( n = 185), and Poland ( n = 177). In all three samples, the Dark Triad traits were associated with psychosocial costs, although there were more links in the Singaporean and Polish samples than in the American sample. In the U.S., the quality of one's romantic relationships and psychopathy were negatively correlated. Narcissism was higher in the Polish and American samples than in the Singaporean sample. Men scored higher than women did regardless of location and the sex difference in the individual differences in life histories was mediated by the Dark Triad composite. Results suggest the Dark Triad are related to a volatile socioecology composed of psychosocial costs in the familial, romantic, and platonic relationships.
This research was aimed to provide a comprehensive test of the classic notion that narcissistic i... more This research was aimed to provide a comprehensive test of the classic notion that narcissistic individuals are appealing as short-term romantic or sexual partners. In three studies, we tested the hypotheses that narcissism exerts a positive effect on an individual’s mate appeal and that this effect is mediated by high physical attractiveness and high social boldness. We implemented a multimethod approach and used ratings of opposite sex persons (Study 1), ratings of friends (Study 2), and records of courtship outcomes in naturalistic interactions (Study 3) as indicators of mate appeal. In all cases, narcissism had a positive effect on mate appeal, which was mainly due to the agentic self-enhancement aspects of narcissism (rather than narcissists’ lacking communion). As predicted, physical attractiveness and social boldness mediated the positive effect of narcissism on mate appeal. Findings further indicated that narcissism was more strongly linked to mate appeal than to friend appeal.
The present experiment (N = 95) investigated the relations of narcissism with social value orient... more The present experiment (N = 95) investigated the relations of narcissism with social value orientation under façade conditions of testing communal or agentic traits (or none - in a control condition). The results indicated that narcissism predicted less willingness to share resources with others and more competitive orientation in a façade communal condition compared to the remaining two conditions: control and agentic. The results confirm narcissistic disregard for communal domain and are consistent with the extended agency model of narcissism and the “success as a drawback” effect.
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