Thesis Format

Integrated Article

Narcissistic Status Pursuit: Experimental Evidence of Narcissism-related Differences in Cognitive-behavioural Processes that Regulate Status Attainment

Breanna E. Atkinson Miss, Western UniversityFollow

Degree

Doctor of Philosophy

Program

Psychology

Supervisor

Heerey, Erin, A.

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.

Summary for Lay Audience

Everyday expressions of grandiose narcissism include charming and charismatic, as well as aggressive and antagonistic behaviours. Accordingly, narcissistic social behaviours are theorized by recent models to be underpinned by two alternate pathways—one that leads to social success (narcissistic admiration) and one that leads to social conflict (narcissistic rivalry). These pathways are thought to motivate behaviour through underlying differences in people’s cognitive, behavioral, and affective processes. The current research examines multiple of these processes across three diverse tasks and relates them to participants’ self-reported narcissism scores. Here, I focus on testing specific theoretical predictions described by the Status Pursuit in Narcissism (SPIN; Grapsas, Brummelman, Back, & Denissen, 2020) model. The SPIN model predicts that, as narcissism levels increase, so will people’s attention to status-relevant social cues, the strength of their appraisals of status-relevant cues, and their preferences for high-status peers. Study 1 uses an attention-based task to examine attentional capture effects of various social cues. Results suggest that the status-relevance of English words enhance processing, and therefore accurate reporting, of status-related stimuli—as people report higher levels of narcissism. Study 2 uses an evaluative conditioning-based task to examine underlying appraisals made of cues that strongly convey information about social status. Results suggest that narcissism does not significantly moderate people’s appraisals of high- versus low-status cues in terms of their positivity or negativity. I discuss this finding in light of the fact that participants also rated the status cues similarly across the narcissism spectrum. Study 3 uses a decision-making task that requires people to repeatedly choose between prospective employees who are characterized by different traits. The characteristics were designed to tap the alternate pathways that prime narcissistic behaviour (admiration and rivalry). While characteristics that communicate admiration were universally valued, only those with high levels of narcissism preferred rivalry-related characteristics. The impact of this research is discussed, as are limitations and future research prospects.

Recommended Citation

Atkinson, Breanna E. Miss, "Narcissistic Status Pursuit: Experimental Evidence of Narcissism-related Differences in Cognitive-behavioural Processes that Regulate Status Attainment" (2024). Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository. 10630.
https://ir.lib.uwo.ca/etd/10630