Narcissism and Self-Esteem Revisited : The Mediating Roles of Perceived Status and Inclusion

Abstract

ABSTRACT The purpose of the present study was to examine whether narcissistic personality features had indirect associations with state self-esteem through perceived status and inclusion. We used a daily diary approach to examine whether daily perceptions of status and inclusion mediated the associations that narcissistic admiration (an agentic form of narcissism that is characterized by assertive self-enhancement and self-promotion) and narcissistic rivalry (an antagonistic form of narcissism that is characterized by self-protection and self-defense) had with daily reports of state self-esteem in 808 undergraduate students. Narcissistic admiration had positive indirect associations with state self-esteem through perceived status and inclusion, whereas narcissistic rivalry had negative indirect associations with state self-esteem through perceived status and inclusion. These results suggest that perceptions of status and inclusion may contribute to the feelings of self-worth that are experienced by individuals with narcissistic personality features. Discussion focuses on the implications of these results for our understanding of the connections between narcissism and self-esteem.