Narcissistic Responding to Ego Threat: When the Status of the Evaluator Matters
Abstract
Narcissists and nonnarcissists were insulted by high-status and low-status evaluators and were given an opportunity to self-protect with a comparative (evaluator derogation; Experiment 1) and noncomparative (inflated state self-esteem; Experiments 1 and 2) strategy. Narcissists engaged in comparative self-protection indiscriminately (i.e., derogating both low-status and high-status evaluators), whereas nonnarcissists showed some mercy to low-status evaluators. With regard to noncomparative protection, the findings were consistent across studies: Evaluator status interacted with narcissism such that narcissists engaged in noncomparative self-protection more than nonnarcissists when the evaluator was high, but not low, in status. Evaluator status and, more generally, source of feedback are worth serious consideration when untangling the intricacies and flexibility of narcissistic self-protection.
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When narcissists are criticized, humiliated, or outperformed by others, they seek to derogate them.
“A large body of research suggests that when narcissists are criticized, humiliated, or outperformed by others, they seek to derogate them (Bushman & Baumeister, 1998; Horton & Sedikides, 2009; Kernis & Sun, 1994; Stucke & Sporer, 2002; Thomaes, Bushman, Stegge, & Olthof, 2008).”
From The "Why" and "How" of Narcissism: A Process Model of Narcissistic Status Pursuit (2020) · cites this paper as Horton & Sedikides, 2009
Narcissists attribute successes to internal ability more than nonnarcissists and attribute failures to the incompetence of evaluators or collaborators.
“Indeed, whereas narcissists have been found to attribute successes to internal ability more so than nonnarcissists, they have also been found to attribute their failures to the incompetence of their evaluators (Horton & Sedikides, 2009) or collaborators (Campbell, Reeder, Sedikides, & Elliot, 2000; Kernis & Sun, 1994).”
From The "Why" and "How" of Narcissism: A Process Model of Narcissistic Status Pursuit (2020) · cites this paper as Horton & Sedikides, 2009
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The "Why" and "How" of Narcissism: A Process Model of Narcissistic Status Pursuit
Grapsas, S., Brummelman, E., Back, M. D., & Denissen, J. J. A. (2020) · Perspectives on Psychological Science · doi:10.1177/1745691619873350 · Cited by 312 · see citing works
“…have been found to attribute successes to internal ability more so than nonnarcissists, they have also been found to attribute their failures to the incompetence of their evaluators (Horton & Sedikides, 2009) or collaborators (Campbell, Reeder, Sedikides, & Elliot, 2000; Kernis & Sun, 1994).”
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- Authors
- Horton, R. S., & Sedikides, C.
- Affiliations
- Wabash College (US)
- University of Southampton (GB)
- Corresponding author
- Horton, Robert S.
- Venue
- Journal of Personality
- Publisher
- Wiley
- Published
- 2009-09
- Volume
- 77
- Issue
- 5
- Pages
- 1493-1526
- ISSN
- 0022-3506 (ISSN-L)
- 1467-6494
- OpenAlex
- W2109968670
- Cited by
- 115
- References
- 13
- Citations by year
- 2026: 2 · 2025: 5 · 2024: 4 · 2023: 5 · 2022: 10 · 2021: 9 · 2020: 9 · 2019: 8 · 2018: 12 · 2017: 7 · 2016: 10 · 2015: 8 · 2014: 8 · 2013: 4 · 2012: 2
- FWCI
- 4.60
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- Journal of Personality (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- ePrints Soton (University of Southampton) (submittedVersion)
- Topics
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Clinical Psychology › Personality Traits and Psychology
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Social Psychology › Emotions and Moral Behavior
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Social Psychology › Death Anxiety and Social Exclusion
- Keywords
- narcissism, ego threat, self-protection, self-esteem, state self-esteem, feedback source
- MeSH terms
- Adult, Defense Mechanisms, Female, Humans, Internal-External Control, Interpersonal Relations, Male, Narcissism, Personality Disorders, Personality Inventory, Pilot Projects, Self Concept, Social Class, Social Identification, Social Perception
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