Jennifer K. Vrabel

Narcissism and the pursuit of status

OBJECTIVE The purpose of the present studies was to examine the connections that narcissistic admiration and narcissistic rivalry had with various aspects of status. METHOD Study 1 examined the associations that narcissism had with the motivation to seek status in a sample of 1,219 community members. Study 2 examined whether narcissism interacted with the status-seeking motive to predict how individuals pursued status in a sample of 760 community members and college students. Study 3 used a daily diary approach to examine whether narcissism moderated the associations that daily perceptions of status and affiliation had with state self-esteem in 356 college students. RESULTS Our results revealed that narcissistic admiration and narcissistic rivalry were somewhat similar in their desire for status but had divergent associations with other aspects of status (e.g., strategies employed to attain status, perceptions of status, reactions to perceived status). CONCLUSIONS The results of the present studies suggest that narcissistic admiration is associated with an agentic orientation to the pursuit of status, whereas narcissistic rivalry is associated with an antagonistic orientation to the pursuit of status. Discussion focuses on the implications of these results for our understanding of the connections between narcissism and status.

The Narcissistic Pursuit of Status

This chapter considers the factors that motivate narcissistic individuals to pursue external validation. Narcissistic individuals pursue external validation through various strategies (e.g., appearance enhancement, social media use), but we focus primarily on the desire for status because we believe it may be especially helpful for understanding the intrapsychic processes and interpersonal behaviors that characterize narcissistic individuals. We argue that the narcissistic concern for status may help us understand why the self-presentational goals of narcissistic individuals often focus on issues surrounding self-promotion or intimidation rather than affiliation. The lack of concern that narcissistic individuals have for affiliation suggests that their self-promotional efforts are not regulated by typical concerns about also being liked which may shed light on the reasons they engage in interpersonal behaviors that others tend to find irritating and aversive (e.g., being selfish or arrogant). We conclude by suggesting that the desire for status may be a fundamental aspect of narcissism that has the potential to provide additional insights into the cognitive processes and interpersonal behaviors that characterize narcissistic individuals rather than simply being one of the ways in which narcissistic individuals go about regulating their feelings of self-worth.

How Do Narcissists Really Feel About Themselves? The Complex Connections Between Narcissism and Self-Esteem

Narcissism and self-esteem are both characterized by positive forms of self-regard, and common sense would suggest that these two constructs should be strongly and positively related. However, research has demonstrated that the associations between narcissism and self-esteem are quite complex and that there are critical differences between the two constructs that contribute to this complexity. This chapter aims to highlight some of these intricate relationships and important conceptual differences with a focus on three specific areas. First, we outline key differences in the content of the positive self-views that are associated with each construct. For example, narcissistic self-views are, by definition, exaggerated and overblown, whereas the self-views of individuals with high self-esteem may or may not be accurate. Second, we discuss how various conceptualizations of narcissism (e.g., the narcissistic admiration and rivalry concept [NARC] model) and self-esteem (e.g., fragile versus secure forms of high self-esteem) inform our understanding of their association with each other. Lastly, we review proposed evolutionary origins of both constructs (e.g., sociometer and hierometer theories) that may shed light on the potential functions of narcissism and self-esteem in the social lives of humans.