What drives us to go green: The roles of narcissism, virtue signaling and social exclusion

Understanding individual differences in pro-environmental values is crucial amid climate change. This study explores how grandiose and vulnerable narcissism relate to such values, using survey data from 609 British participants. Our findings reveal that grandiose narcissism is positively associated with pro-environmental values and virtue signaling mediates this relationship. This suggests that individuals high in grandiose narcissism may adopt pro-environmental values primarily to enhance their self-image. Conversely, although vulnerable narcissism shows a negative direct relationship with pro-environmental values, vulnerable narcissists also engage in virtue signaling, which positively influences their adoption of pro-environmental values. This indicates that their motivation may stem from a need to protect their fragile self-esteem. Additionally, while grandiose narcissism and vulnerable narcissism differ in how they relate to social exclusion, social exclusion does not significantly predict pro-environmental values. This implies that the emotional consequences of exclusion may not support the internalization of pro-environmental values. By highlighting the distinct motivational pathways of grandiose and vulnerable narcissism, this study deepens understanding of how self-focused traits influence environmental value adoption. • Grandiose narcissists use virtue signaling to enhance their self-image. • Virtue signaling positively impacts pro-environmental values. • Vulnerable narcissists show less pro-environmental values. • Social exclusion does not significantly impact proenvironmental values.