When and how vulnerable- and grandiose narcissism predict collective narcissism: the role of perceived social status, dimensions of self-worth, intuitive cognition and need for closure

• Autor(a) principal: Großschädl, Michaela
• Data de Publicação: 2020
• Tipo de documento: Dissertação
• Idioma: eng
• Título da fonte: Repositório Científico de Acesso Aberto de Portugal (Repositórios Cientìficos)
• Texto Completo: http://hdl.handle.net/10071/20725
• topic: Collective narcissism; Vulnerable narcissism; Grandiose narcissism; Perceived social status; Contingent of self-worth; Intuitive cognition; Need for closure; Narcisismo coletivo; Narcisismo vulnerável; Narcisismo grandioso; Estatuto social percebido; Contingências da auto-estima; Cognição intuitiva; Necessidade de encerramento

This study aimed to explore the contextual reasons and the underlying factors of the inconsistent relations between individual narcissistic constructs, vulnerable and grandiose narcissism, and collective narcissism – the belief that one’s group is particularly special but was not sufficiently recognised by other groups (Golec de Zavala et al.,2019). Specifically, in this study we investigated whether perceived social status moderates the relation between vulnerable- and grandiose narcissism and collective narcissism. Additionally, we explored possible underlying factors such as the contingencies of self-worth dimensions competition and need for approval from others but also possible cognitive factors such as intuitive cognition and need for closure. The measures of interest were completed by Austrian citizens (N=217). Contrary to the expected, perceived social status did not moderate the relationship between vulnerable- and grandiose narcissism to collective narcissism. The investigation of underlying factors revealed that the need for competition acted as underlying mechanism between vulnerable- and grandiose narcissism and collective narcissism. However, no mediating links were found for the factors approval from others, need for closure and intuitive cognition. We concluded that the narcissists endorsement of collective narcissism was not a form of ego protection through needing closure on a group level, nor was it caused by intuitive information processing, nor was it a way to find approval for their easily threatened selves. Instead, results seem to suggest that collective narcissism may be a narcissistic tool to enhance the competitive selves of both, vulnerable- and grandiose narcissists.