Understanding the Association Between Religiosity and Narcissism: The Mediating and Moderating Role of Altruism

This study investigates the complex relationship between religiosity, narcissism, and altruism by examining the dual role of altruism as both a mediator and a moderator in the effect of religious attitudes on narcissistic traits. The study was conducted with a sample of 806 adults in Turkey using a snowball sampling method via an online survey. Data were collected using the Religious Attitude Scale, the Unexpected Productive Altruism subscale, and the narcissism subscale of the Dark Triad Scale. The proposed conceptual model was tested using Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) for mediation and Hayes' PROCESS Macro (Model 1) for moderation. Results confirmed the initial hypotheses: religiosity was positively associated with altruism and negatively with narcissism, while altruism was also negatively associated with narcissism. Furthermore, altruism was found to partially mediate the negative relationship between religiosity and narcissism. Most notably, a significant moderation effect was found; the negative impact of religiosity on narcissism was significantly stronger for individuals with low levels of altruism compared to those with high levels of altruism. These findings suggest that altruism serves as a key mechanism through which religiosity reduces egocentric tendencies, acting as a transformative force, particularly for individuals who are more self-centered.