New study finds that narcissism is driven by insecurity.
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Narcissists Are People Dealing With Insecurities"
Pascal Wallisch, senior author, said, "For a long time, it was unclear why narcissists engage in unpleasant behaviors, such as self-congratulation, as it actually makes others think less of them. This has become quite prevalent in the age of social media--a behavior that's been coined as flexing.”
Mary Kowalchyk, lead author, said, "More specifically, the results suggest that narcissism is better understood as a compensatory adaptation to overcome and cover up low self-worth."
She explains that narcissists cope with their insecurities by flexing, which makes others like them less in the long run, further aggravating their insecurities and leading to a vicious cycle of flexing behaviors.
The study had almost 300 participants, 60% female and 40% male, with an average age of 20.
Psychopathy is also characterized by a grandiose sense of self, so the researchers aimed to understand how these conditions relate.
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The PRISN scale includes commonly used measures to assess social desirability, self-esteem, and psychopathy. FLEX has four components - impression management, the need for social validation, self-elevation, and social dominance.
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The results suggest that genuine narcissists are insecure and are best described by the vulnerable narcissism subtype. However, grandiose narcissism might be better understood as a manifestation of psychopathy.
Source-Eurekalert