Poster #157 - Narcissistic Personality Traits and Their Relationship With Dominance and Prestige Motivations

• In Event: ASC Poster Session II

Abstract

Narcissism is often discussed in relation to dominance and prestige, especially in the workplace. However, it’s unclear what extent narcissistic traits predict either/both dominance and prestige motivations. We explored the associations in a large non-clinical sample. We hypothesized a strong positive relationship between narcissism and dominance, and a weaker positive relationship between narcissism and prestige. We recruited 851 adults from community (MTurk) and undergraduate settings and removed invalid/poor quality responses before analysis. Participants completed self-report questionnaires online. Measures included: Dominance and Prestige scale, and the five-factor model rating form, which produced narcissistic personality trait profiles (Samuel & Widiger, 2008). Linear regressions showed the relationships of narcissism and dominance and prestige, respectively, were significant; Surprisingly, narcissism predicted significantly lower dominance (b=-.28, p<.001, R2=.03) and prestige (b=-.08, p<.01, R2=.007), the effect on prestige was trivial. While the outcomes of the analyses were not as hypothesized, they lend important information about narcissism and its relationship to dominance and prestige. Per the association between narcissistic personality traits and dominance, evidence suggests that in non-clinical samples, narcissism measures may reflect positive self-esteem better than certain aspects of narcissism, as seen in clinical settings, which our study may protect against coercion of others for social standing.

Authors

• Catherine Work, Fairleigh Dickinson University

• Benjamin Johnson, Fairleigh Dickinson University

• Jessica Hlay, Notre Dame University

• Kenneth N. Levy, Pennsylvania State University