Narcissistic Status Pursuit: Experimental Evidence of Narcissism-related Differences in Cognitive-behavioural Processes that Regulate Status Attainment
Abstract
Trait narcissism presents something of a paradox as a personality characteristic. On the one hand, highly narcissistic people can appear as charming, engaging, and socially adept, using these behaviours to gain status and approval. On the other, they can act in highly antisocial ways, leading to significant personal and societal upheaval and a loss of social approval. This dissertation seeks to uncover how responses to social stimuli that vary in status-relevance might underpin such behaviours. Three novel studies experimentally examine cognitive-behavioral differences within diverse tasks and relate them to participant’s self-reported narcissism scores. Specifically, these works test several theoretical predictions using paradigms that probe the boundaries of (very) early attentional processes, early appraisal processes, and preferences for narcissism-related personality traits in others. I interpret findings from these designs in light of the Status Pursuit in Narcissism (SPIN) model. Study 1 uses a Rapid Serial Visual Presentation (RSVP) task to examine semi-automatic attentional process differences for status-relevant versus status-neutral lexical cues. Findings show that the status-relevance of English words did enhance processing, and therefore accurate reporting of, status-relevant stimuli—as people reported higher levels of narcissism. Study 2 uses an Extrinsic Affective Simon Task (EAST) to examine early underlying appraisals made of lexical cues that strongly convey information about social status. Results indicate that narcissism may not moderate early appraisals made within the context of status-related words. I discuss this finding in light of their basic affective associations, the ratings of which suggested strong appraisals across the narcissism spectrum. Grounded in utility theory, Study 3 assesses preferences for subordinate team members whose personality descriptors signify low versus high levels of admiration and rivalry, as described by the Narcissistic Admiration and Rivalry Concept (NARC). Results showed that, as narcissism levels increased, participants found traits associated with rivalry significantly less aversive and were willing to select avatars who were high in rivalry-related characteristics, regardless of whether they were also high or low in prestige-related traits. I discuss implications with respect to the SPIN, the NARC, and recently published research, relating these findings to the consequences for understanding the social paradox of narcissistic behaviour.