Why narcissists do what they do…

Saturday, March 2, 2024.

Classic narcissistic behaviors include exploiting others without guilt, needing constant praise and displaying a sense of entitlement.

Narcissists behave the way they do because of insecurity and not because they are full of themselves, a study finds.

People with these tendencies use classic narcissistic behaviors to cover up their low self-worth.

These include exploiting others without guilt, needing constant praise, and displaying a sense of entitlement and grandiose self-importance.

Unfortunately for narcissists, these behaviors all make others hate them in the long run and aggravate their low self-worth.

Dr. Pascal Wallisch, study co-author, said:

“For a long time, it was unclear why narcissists engage in unpleasant behaviors, such as self-congratulation, as it makes others think less of them.

This has become quite prevalent in the age of social media — a behavior that’s been coined ‘flexing’

Our work reveals that these narcissists are not grandiose but somewhat insecure, and this is how they seem to cope with their insecurities.”

How the study was conducted

The researchers surveyed almost 300 people, testing them for typical narcissistic behaviors.

People were asked if they agreed with statements like these:

• “I am likely to show off if I get the chance.”

• “It matters that I am seen at important events.”

• “I have exquisite taste.”

• “I like knowing more than other people.”

  These questions are designed to assess how much humans need to manage the impression they give others, the social validation they need, how much they like raising themselves above others, and their social dominance.

The results suggest that genuine narcissists behave the way they do because they are insecure.

Ms Mary Kowalchyk, the study’s first author, said:

“More specifically, the results suggest that narcissism is better understood as a compensatory adaptation to overcome and cover up low self-worth.

Narcissists are insecure, and they cope with these insecurities by flexing.

This makes others like them less in the long run, thus further aggravating their insecurities, leading to a vicious cycle of flexing behaviors.”

The researchers looked at two different types of narcissism:

Grandiose Narcissism: This type involves having an overinflated sense of one’s importance.

Covert / Vulnerable Narcissism: This type is linked to more symptoms of anxiety and depression.

Their results suggested that covert narcissists are genuine narcissists, and they also assess grandiose narcissists are best considered as a variety of psychopathy.

I thought that was fascinating.

Be well, Stay Kind, and Godspeed.

RESEARCH:

Mary Kowalchyk, Helena Palmieri, Elena Conte, Pascal Wallisch, Narcissism through the lens of performative self-elevation, Personality and Individual Differences, Volume 177,

2021, 10780, ISSN 0191-8869, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.paid.2021.110780.