Homophobia and Collective Narcissism in Contemporary Poland, Richard C.M. Mole and Agnieszka Golec de Zavala

• In Event: Vice President-Designated Panel: Poland: Cultural Mechanisms of (Right-wing) Political Upheaval

Abstract

The aim of this paper is to demonstrate the mediating role of collective narcissism - defined as emotional investment in a belief in the exaggerated greatness of one’s own group contingent upon recognition and confirmation by others - in explaining negative attitudes towards homosexuals in Poland. In particular, we demonstrate the link between national and religious collective narcissism and explicit and implicit attitudes towards homosexuals. While previous research has hypothesised a relationship between national identity and homophobia, our research - based on a na-tionwide survey and an experimental study - has empirically tested this relationship.

Author

• Richard Mole, U College London (UK)