Behavioral Inhibition System (BIS), Behavioral Activation System (BAS), and grandiose facets of narcissism

Łukasz Subramanian,Magdalena Żemojtel-Piotrowska,Michał Sękowski

doi:10.1007/s12144-020-00927-6

Łukasz Subramanian, Magdalena Żemojtel-Piotrowska + Show 1 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.1007/s12144-020-00927-6

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Abstract

The current study examines the temperamental basis of three forms of grandiose narcissism (i.e., agentic, communal, and antagonistic), employing the Behavioral Inhibition System model and three aspects of Behavioral Activation System (i.e., drive, pleasure-seeking, and sensitivity to reward). Using a self-report study conducted on a general Polish sample (N = 657), we found that all forms of narcissism were positively associated with all three aspects of BAS, while BIS was negatively associated with agentic and antagonistic forms. Communal and antagonistic narcissism did not differ in comparison of their correlations with drive and sensitivity to reward, while agentic narcissism indicated the strongest relations to temperament. A multiple regression indicated that each of the three forms of narcissism has its own specific relationship with BIS and of the aspects of BAS. We discuss our findings as useful in explaining how the three forms of narcissism are related to BIS and BAS with the distinction of the latter into its three aspects, indicating substantial differences between agentic and communal narcissism, and specificity of antagonistic narcissism.

Highlights

Narcissism is one of the most broadly studied phenomena in psychology.(Krizan and Herlache 2018; Miller et al 2017)
We examine the relationships between different aspects of narcissism and temperamental traits, referring to Gray’s (1970) model considering the behavioural inhibition system (BIS) and the behavioural activation system (BAS)
Agentic narcissism negatively correlated with BIS, antagonistic narcissism positively correlated with BIS, while communal narcissism was unrelated to BIS

Summary

Introduction

Narcissism is one of the most broadly studied phenomena in psychology.(Krizan and Herlache 2018; Miller et al 2017). Defining the agentic and antagonistic aspects of narcissism we refer to the narcissistic admiration and rivalry framework (Back et al 2013). Communal narcissism is framed within the agency-communion model of grandiose narcissism positing that the narcissists fulfil their core selfmotives through agentic or communal means (Gebauer et al 2012). An agentic narcissist self-enhances on exceptional agency (e.g., intelligence or power), while a communal narcissist self-enhances on exceptional communion(e.g., tolerance or friendliness), agentic and communal narcissism are two parallel forms of grandiose narcissism but they differ in the way in which the core narcissistic motives are fulfilled (Gebauer and Sedikides 2018). Admiration refers to a generally positive self-image, global self-esteem is built mostly on agentic traits

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