I’m More Prosocial than Others: Narcissism Facilitates Prosocial Behavior in Public Situations
Although narcissism consistently predicts maladaptive behaviors, the relationship between narcissism and prosocial behavior remains controversial due to the paradoxical nature of narcissism. In three studies, we investigated the roles of situational and motivational factors in the link between narci...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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MDPI AG
2024-12-01
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| Series: | Behavioral Sciences |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2076-328X/14/12/1200 |
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| author | Yining Song Qiong Chen Ping Ren Jing Ma Caina Li |
| author_facet | Yining Song Qiong Chen Ping Ren Jing Ma Caina Li |
| author_sort | Yining Song |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Although narcissism consistently predicts maladaptive behaviors, the relationship between narcissism and prosocial behavior remains controversial due to the paradoxical nature of narcissism. In three studies, we investigated the roles of situational and motivational factors in the link between narcissism and prosocial behavior. In Study 1 (<i>n</i> = 932), a questionnaire survey revealed that trait narcissism positively predicted prosocial behavior tendencies only in public situations as opposed to anonymous situations. In Study 2 (<i>n</i> = 200) and 3 (<i>n</i> = 170), we manipulated individuals’ state narcissism through story-based primes and measured prosocial behavior via actual monetary donations. Both Studies 2 and 3 consistently demonstrated that participants in the state narcissism group exhibited greater prosocial behavior in public situations compared to anonymous ones. Furthermore, the findings of Study 3 indicated that the increased prosocial behavior observed in public situations could be attributed to heightened self-enhancement. These findings contribute to a more nuanced understanding of the relationship between narcissism and prosocial behavior. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-b10784140bf34679902b9bdae348ffae |
| institution | DOAJ |
| issn | 2076-328X |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2024-12-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Behavioral Sciences |
| spelling | doaj-art-b10784140bf34679902b9bdae348ffae2025-08-20T02:55:49ZengMDPI AGBehavioral Sciences2076-328X2024-12-011412120010.3390/bs14121200I’m More Prosocial than Others: Narcissism Facilitates Prosocial Behavior in Public SituationsYining Song0Qiong Chen1Ping Ren2Jing Ma3Caina Li4School of Psychology, Shaanxi Normal University, Xi’an 710062, ChinaSchool of Psychology, Shaanxi Normal University, Xi’an 710062, ChinaCollaborative Innovation Center of Assessment toward Basic Education Quality, Beijing Normal University, Beijing 100875, ChinaSchool of Psychology, Shaanxi Normal University, Xi’an 710062, ChinaSchool of Psychology, Shaanxi Normal University, Xi’an 710062, ChinaAlthough narcissism consistently predicts maladaptive behaviors, the relationship between narcissism and prosocial behavior remains controversial due to the paradoxical nature of narcissism. In three studies, we investigated the roles of situational and motivational factors in the link between narcissism and prosocial behavior. In Study 1 (<i>n</i> = 932), a questionnaire survey revealed that trait narcissism positively predicted prosocial behavior tendencies only in public situations as opposed to anonymous situations. In Study 2 (<i>n</i> = 200) and 3 (<i>n</i> = 170), we manipulated individuals’ state narcissism through story-based primes and measured prosocial behavior via actual monetary donations. Both Studies 2 and 3 consistently demonstrated that participants in the state narcissism group exhibited greater prosocial behavior in public situations compared to anonymous ones. Furthermore, the findings of Study 3 indicated that the increased prosocial behavior observed in public situations could be attributed to heightened self-enhancement. These findings contribute to a more nuanced understanding of the relationship between narcissism and prosocial behavior.https://www.mdpi.com/2076-328X/14/12/1200trait/state narcissismprosocial behaviorpublic/anonymous situationself-enhancement |
| spellingShingle | Yining Song Qiong Chen Ping Ren Jing Ma Caina Li I’m More Prosocial than Others: Narcissism Facilitates Prosocial Behavior in Public Situations Behavioral Sciences trait/state narcissism prosocial behavior public/anonymous situation self-enhancement |
| title | I’m More Prosocial than Others: Narcissism Facilitates Prosocial Behavior in Public Situations |
| title_full | I’m More Prosocial than Others: Narcissism Facilitates Prosocial Behavior in Public Situations |
| title_fullStr | I’m More Prosocial than Others: Narcissism Facilitates Prosocial Behavior in Public Situations |
| title_full_unstemmed | I’m More Prosocial than Others: Narcissism Facilitates Prosocial Behavior in Public Situations |
| title_short | I’m More Prosocial than Others: Narcissism Facilitates Prosocial Behavior in Public Situations |
| title_sort | i m more prosocial than others narcissism facilitates prosocial behavior in public situations |
| topic | trait/state narcissism prosocial behavior public/anonymous situation self-enhancement |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2076-328X/14/12/1200 |
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