Impact of online anonymity on aggression in ostracized grandiose and vulnerable narcissists

Abstract

Narcissism is as an important predictor of aggression, and grandiose narcissists are generally more aggressive than vulnerable narcissists after being ostracized. Online environments have become increasingly important, so although it is essential to consider the impact of ostracism on narcissists' aggression online as well as offline, the former has yet to be considered in the literature. We recruited 240 students from two Chinese universities and conducted two experiments exploring the relationship between traditional and cyberaggression among narcissists. Study 1 explored the face-to-face aggression of grandiose and vulnerable narcissists after in-person peer ostracism. Study 2 explored the cyberaggression of grandiose and vulnerable narcissists after cyberostracism. We used an online game to construct cyberostracism and cyberinclusion conditions, and an adapted project employee evaluation to estimate cyberaggression and determine how it is impacted by online anonymity. The results showed that ostracized vulnerable narcissists were less aggressive than grandiose narcissists in face-to-face conditions, but showed increased indirect anonymous cyberaggression, at a similar level to grandiose narcissists. These results confirm the results of previous studies and help us gain a deeper understanding of the mechanisms of aggression in narcissists.