Re-Examining the Link Between Grandiose Narcissism, Self-Esteem and the Processing of Negative Status-Related Information: An Experimental Study of Self-Affirmation

Research on the relationship between grandiose narcissism and self-esteem (SE) remains inconclusive. This study examined the effects of self-affirmation on self-regulation and the role of different dimensions of SE. Self-esteem was assessed using a bifactorial model derived from the RSES, distinguishing between positive (self-competence) and negative (self-derogation) components. The Narcissistic Personality Inventory (NPI) was used to measure grandiose narcissistic traits, interpreted according to a three-factor model comprising “Power”, “Exhibitionism”, and “Special person”. A total of 180 undergraduate participants were randomly assigned to either a self-affirmation or control condition. Participants then completed a masked priming-based lexical decision task to assess reaction-time responses to status-related cues, interpreted as a behavioural indicator consistent with self-regulatory processing. Self-affirmation was associated with higher self-competence and lower self-derogation. A preliminary Condition × Special person interaction at the 149 ms SOA indicated that the association between Special person narcissism and RT differences was attenuated in the self-affirmation condition. The findings provide preliminary evidence consistent with the mask model, suggesting that self-affirmation may influence the processing of negative status-related cues among individuals differing in narcissistic traits. These findings suggest that self-affirmation may warrant further investigation as a mechanism for modifying self-evaluative processing associated with narcissistic traits. It also offers some explanation for previous conflicting evidence between SE and narcissism. Finally, the study provides inter alia for the first time an experimental validation of a bifactorial model of SE.