Only the weak need help? The role of narcissistic rivalry in attitudes toward psychological help

Individual narcissism has previously been linked to a range of maladaptive individual- and group-level outcomes. In the present research, we examined links between narcissistic facets, cold feelings toward mental health professionals and attitudes toward psychological help. We propose that narcissistic rivalry (i.e., antagonistic strategy aimed at protecting a grandiose self-view through the devaluation of others) — rather than narcissistic admiration (i.e., self-promotional strategy aimed at gaining social approval) would be linked to colder feelings toward psychological help. Across three studies conducted among Polish (Study 1, N = 1622 and Study 3, N = 647) and American (Study 2, N = 556) participants, we found that narcissistic rivalry, but not admiration, was associated with less favorable attitudes toward seeking psychological help. Study 2 showed that this association was statistically accounted for by cold feelings toward mental health professionals, but not toward individuals diagnosed with mental disorders. Study 3 conceptually showed a similar pattern, demonstrating that narcissistic rivalry was related to cold feelings toward mental health specialists more broadly (i.e., psychologists, psychotherapists, and psychiatrists), which in turn predicted lower positive attitudes toward psychological help. Overall, our findings suggest that narcissistic rivalry may represent a psychological barrier to help-seeking.