Ego Threat Research Articles

Narcissistic adolescents' attention-seeking following social rejection: Links with social media disclosure, problematic social media use, and smartphone stress

In line with a Dynamic Self-Regulatory Processing Model of narcissism (Morf & Rhodewalt, 2001), the present study adopted a motivated self-construction perspective to examine longitudinal associations from adolescent narcissism to youth's social media disclosures, problematic social media use, and smartphone stress, respectively. Adolescents' attention-seeking motives were examined as a mediator of these over-time associations. In line with this model's account of self-image failure, we also expected that narcissistic youth's attention-seeking should increase following experiences of ego threat, such as social rejection. These hypotheses were tested with two waves of self-report data, spaced one year apart, among 307 adolescents aged 12–15 at T1 (Mage = 12.87, SD = 0.75). In line with predictions, earlier adolescent narcissism predicted later social media disclosure, problematic use, and smartphone stress, via increased attention-seeking. Furthermore, a significant interaction between narcissism and perceived social rejection at T1 predicted adolescents' outcomes at T2, via attention-seeking; Participants with a combination of higher narcissism and higher rejection at T1 reported higher levels of attention-seeking at T2. These longitudinal results suggest that narcissistic adolescents' attention-seeking on social media, particularly as a way to recover from social rejection, might backfire and ultimately contribute to an ongoing pattern of self-defeating behavior.

Revisiting the Interactive Effect of Narcissism and Self-Esteem on Responses to Ego Threat: Distinguishing Between Assertiveness and Intent to Harm.

We addressed whether narcissism and self-esteem synergize to enhance assertive responses and deter aggressive responses to ego-threatening provocation. Participants (N = 448) completed measures of narcissism and self-esteem, imagined ego-threatening provocation, and indicated their aggressive and assertive responses. Participants also completed individual difference measures of agreeableness, openness, status/dominance motivation, and endorsement of the notion that aggression begets power. Narcissism and self-esteem interacted to reduce aggressive responses but enhance assertive responses to ego-threat; moreover, this interaction related to enhanced agreeableness, openness, status/dominance motivation, and reduced endorsement of the belief that aggression begets power, and these relations accounted, in part, for relations between the interaction and aggressive and assertive responses. Broadly, the findings contribute to the contentious issue of how self-evaluation influences responses to ego-threat; specifically, we would suggest that this issue be conceptualized in terms of synergistic effects of narcissism and self-esteem and distinguish between assertive versus aggressive responding.

The conceptual exploration of fear and courage in competition among national combat sport athletes

Purpose This study was to explore construct of fear and courage behavior overcoming the fear and relationship between fear and courage in competition. Methods Total 65 national athletes of combat sports(Judo, Boxing, Taekwondo, Fencing) responded to open questionnaire about fear and courage behavior in competition. The data was analyzed by triangle verification and content analysis. Results Firstly, the fear of combat sports athletes consisted of five factors, which were negative consequences, lack of preparation for a game, concerns of performing one’s best, expectation of significant others, and internalized ego threat. Secondly, courage behaviors to overcome fear were self-effort, self-suggestion, self-conviction, selfish self-regulation, social self-control, self-analysis, and acceptance of experience. Finally, there were the relationship between fear and courage in competition. Conclusion These results will contribute to provide useful information for combat sport athletes and coaches in different level to cope with competition fear.

Ratings of affective and interpersonal tendencies differ for grandiose and vulnerable narcissism: A replication and extension of Gore and Widiger (2016).

Theoretical conceptions of narcissism have long been characterized by two seemingly opposing poles: grandiosity and vulnerability. The goal of the current study was to investigate the extent to which traits associated with one profile are perceived to co-occur with the other within an individual. Lay raters (N = 862; 56% female; 80% Caucasian; Mage = 37) recruited from Amazon's MTurk were assigned to one of four conditions in which they rated how often a series of narcissistic traits were displayed by a prototypical grandiose narcissist, a vulnerable narcissist, a close friend, or themselves. Vulnerable narcissism items were specifically worded to assess internalizing- versus externalizing-based emotional responses. Results suggest that grandiosely narcissistic individuals are seen as responding angrily to ego-threatening situations, whereas vulnerably narcissistic individuals are seen as responding with a broader array of negative emotions, including anger, sadness, and shame. In contrast, vulnerably narcissistic individuals were not rated as consistently demonstrating behaviors, attitudes, or cognitions associated with grandiose narcissism. Grandiose and vulnerable narcissistic individuals both exhibit anger in response to ego threat, but sadness/shame responses are more characteristic of vulnerable narcissism.

Trait entitlement: A cognitive-personality source of vulnerability to psychological distress.

Psychological entitlement is a personality trait characterized by pervasive feelings of deservingness, specialness, and exaggerated expectations. The present review expands upon this understanding by conceptualizing entitlement as a cognitive-personality vulnerability to psychological distress. A review of research is conducted, and a novel, multipart model is described by which entitlement may be seen as such a vulnerability. First, exaggerated expectations, notions of the self as special, and inflated deservingness associated with trait entitlement present the individual with a continual vulnerability to unmet expectations. Second, entitled individuals are likely to interpret these unmet expectations in ways that foster disappointment, ego threat, and a sense of perceived injustice, all of which may lead to psychological distress indicators such as dissatisfaction across multiple life domains, anger, and generally volatile emotional responses. Furthermore, in the wake of disappointment, ego threat, or perceived injustice, entitled individuals are likely to attempt to bolster their entitled self-concept, leading to a reinforcement of entitled beliefs, thereby initiating the cycle again. At each stage of this process, entitlement presents the individual with the possibility of experiencing distress, predisposes further risk factors for distress (e.g., the subsequent steps in the model), and increases the risk of interpersonal conflict, again leading to distress. A review of relevant empirical data suggests preliminary support for this conceptual model of entitlement. (PsycINFO Database Record

Fixated on rejection: Attentional blindness following socially rejecting faces in people with defensive self-esteem

People with defensive self-esteem (high explicit and low implicit self-esteem) respond more negatively to ego threat than do those with secure (high explicit and implicit) self-esteem. We examined whether they would also be more attentive to a cue indicating the presence of such threat–namely, a face signaling social rejection. In a rapid serial visual presentation task, participants with defensive self-esteem made more errors than those with secure self-esteem following a picture of a rejecting face than following either an accepting face or a negative control image. Our findings suggest a possible relationship between defensive self-esteem and rejection sensitivity. Potential negative ramifications of this sensitivity to rejection cues are discussed.

Implicitly Activating Mindfulness Promotes Positive Responses Following an Ego Threat

Across three studies, we investigated the emotional and cognitive buffering effects of implicitly activating mindfulness in response to an ego threat. Studies 1A (N = 41) and 1B (N = 113) investigated the effects of implicitly activating mindfulness on psychological wellbeing in response to failing an anagrams task. Results showed that, after failing at anagrams, participants in the implicit mindfulness condition reported greater positive affect than those in the control condition. Study 2 (N = 88) investigated the buffering effects of the implicit mindfulness and mindful self-focus exercise on recalling a very negative personal event. Study 2 results again showed the effects on positive affect in addition to showing that participants in the implicit mindfulness condition reported lower negative self-reported physiological arousal and exhibited a lower attentional bias toward negative information. Results also show the potential pitfalls of the mindful self-focus condition in the context of recalling a hi...

Interrelationships between trait anxiety, situational stress and mental effort predict phonological processing efficiency, but not effectiveness.

Attentional control theory (ACT) describes the mechanisms associated with the relationship between anxiety and cognitive performance. We investigated the relationship between cognitive trait anxiety, situational stress and mental effort on phonological performance using a simple (forward-) and complex (backward-) word span task. Ninety undergraduate students participated in the study. Predictor variables were cognitive trait anxiety, indexed using questionnaire scores; situational stress, manipulated using ego threat instructions; and perceived level of mental effort, measured using a visual analogue scale. Criterion variables (a) performance effectiveness (accuracy) and (b) processing efficiency (accuracy divided by response time) were analyzed in separate multiple moderated-regression analyses. The results revealed (a) no relationship between the predictors and performance effectiveness, and (b) a significant 3-way interaction on processing efficiency for both the simple and complex tasks, such that at higher effort, trait anxiety and situational stress did not predict processing efficiency, whereas at lower effort, higher trait anxiety was associated with lower efficiency at high situational stress, but not at low situational stress. Our results were in full support of the assumptions of ACT and implications for future research are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record

Individual differences in trait anxiety and goal-commitment predict updating efficiency on the reading span task

According to attentional control theory (ACT; Eysenck et al. in Emotion 7(2):336–353, 2007) anxious individuals recruit motivation on demanding tasks, which helps prevent performance shortfalls. We used a quasi-experimental design to examine the relationship between trait anxiety (operationalised using questionnaire scores), situational stress (manipulated using ego threat instructions) and motivation (indexed using a self-report goal-commitment scale) in predicting effectiveness (accuracy) and efficiency (accuracy divided by RT) on the reading span task. After controlling for depression, the variables were not related to effectiveness; however there was a significant trait anxiety × goal-commitment interaction on reading span efficiency. Higher trait anxiety predicted better efficiency at higher goal-commitment, and poorer efficiency at lower goal-commitment, and these relationships were independent of situational stress. Results are interpreted in terms of ACT.

The Role of Narcissism in Aggression and Violence: A Systematic Review

It has long been hypothesized that feelings of inferiority or low self-esteem lead individuals to aggress against those they view as being threatening. However, recent studies suggest that it is not just the level of self-esteem but stability that is relevant to understanding this process. As such, researchers have looked to related constructs, such as narcissism, in trying to understand aggressive behaviors. Narcissism is characterized by a dissociation between an unconscious sense of inadequacy and a conscious feeling of superiority. A large number of studies examining the relationship between narcissism and violence have recently been published within both clinical and student populations. This review aimed to systematically collate the findings of such studies and integrate them within current theories of violence. Electronic literature databases such as Web of Science, MEDLINE, PsychINFO, EMBASE, Cochrane databases, and LexisNexis (legal database) were searched to identify studies examining the relationship between narcissism and violence. Twenty articles were included in this review, describing 25 separate samples. Findings suggest that narcissism is relevant in understanding aggression and violence. This was consistent across both clinical and nonclinical populations and therefore does not appear to be an artifact of studying either very violent or student samples. Evidence from student samples strongly supported the association between narcissism and aggression following an ego threat, while studies using clinical samples did not examine the effect of an ego threat. These findings may have an impact on how we understand, predict, and reduce violence.

"“Don’t you make me look bad!” Employees’ Job Neglect, Supervisors’ Ego Threat, Narcissism and Abuse"

The present paper examines whether a) a subordinate’s poor job performance (i.e., job neglect) constitutes a threat to the ego of the subordinate’s respective supervisor, b) ego threat in turn is related to abusive supervision, and c) a supervisor’s narcissistic tendencies enhance the job neglect-ego threat-abusive supervision relationship. Using data from 171 subordinate-supervisor dyads invovling a variety of occupations and industries to test our model, we found support for the hypothesized first-stage moderating effect: specifically, only supervisors high in narcissism exhibited ego threat due to their subordinates’ job neglect. Similarly, the conditional indirect effect for Time 1 employee-reported job neglect in predicting Time 2 abusive supervision via Time 1 ego threat was only significant for supervisors characterized by high levels of narcissism. By demonstrating the negative influence of supervisors’ trait narcissism in subordinate-supervisor relations, our paper contributes to the literature on the dark side of personality at work by extending beyond work limited to the dominant trait paradigm, the so-called Big Five personality traits. We conclude with deliberations on future research and practical implications.

Just “harmless entertainment”? Effects of surveillance reality TV on physical aggression.

Reality TV programs are extremely popular, though little research has examined how they affect viewers. In particular, many reality TV programs contain acts of aggression, mainly verbal or relational forms of aggression. The current study evaluates how different content within reality TV affected viewer aggression. Participants watched a surveillance reality program containing verbal and relational aggression, a surveillance reality program containing supportive family interactions, or a violent crime drama. To see whether surveillance reality programs increase aggression by increasing narcissistic responding, half the participants received an ego threat. Aggression was measured using the intensity and duration of noise administered to an ostensible opponent on a competitive reaction time task. Surveillance reality viewers exposed to relational aggression were more aggressive than those watching either a supportive family surveillance reality program or a violent crime drama. Viewers of the violent crime drama were also more aggressive than those watching the family themed surveillance reality program. Ego threat did not moderate the increase in aggression seen in negative surveillance reality program viewers, suggesting that these programs did not increase narcissistic responding. This is one of the first studies to use an experimental method to document causal effects of reality TV viewing on viewers of these programs. Surveillance reality programs that include relational aggression are not simply “harmless entertainment”—they increase physical aggression.

Can Support in Organization Restrain Organizational Dysfunctional Behavior? -Support in Organization Viewed from Narcissism Types, which Moderates Effect of Ego Threat on Organizational Dysfunctional Behavior-

Can Support in Organization Restrain Organizational Dysfunctional Behavior? -Support in Organization Viewed from Narcissism Types, which Moderates Effect of Ego Threat on Organizational Dysfunctional Behavior-

Поражение и деструкция и их исследование в зарубежной психологии. Сообщение 2

We presented a brief review of studies identifying mechanisms associated with selfdefeating (or self-destruction) patterns. The latter patterns are defined as any deliberate or intentional beliefs and behaviors that have negative effects on the self or on the self’s projects. It is reviewed studies examining self-esteem, threatened egotism, deservingness, and social exclusion entailing self-defeating patterns. A recent literature witnesses that a low level of selfesteem can lead to self-defeating patterns. Second source is threatened egotism. Self-defeating responses are especially common when people feel that others may perceive them less favorably than the people desire. Two variables related to self-esteem may mostly tap vulnerability to ego threats. One is narcissism as inflated or exaggerated favorable views of self. Another is unstable self-esteem. Third source of self-defeat is deservingness. Much theorizing and research of it is originating with Just World Theory. It indicates that people get what they deserve and deserve what they get. The general idea is that, to the extent people might adopt various self-defeating beliefs and behaviors following the experience of misfortune because people feel compelled to view misfortune. Fourth source of self-defeat is social exclusion. It relies on the assumption that the need to belong is one of the most basic human motivations. Then so being excluded from social relationships would be a potentially powerful blow. The social exclusion leads to anxiety, depression, jealousy, loneliness, low self-esteem, fear of social rejection and exclusion. In conclusion, it is worth noting that self-esteem, threatened egotism, deservingness, and social exclusion appear along the interpersonal axis Self – Others relationships yet in various biases. Thus, our claim is that mechanisms associated with selfdefeating patterns would be heterogeneous rather than homogeneous. Besides, our assumption is that self-defeating patterns would be based on a common resource. It would combine selfesteem, threatened egotism, deservingness, and social exclusion as some portions of commonality. Then, some perspective can be delineated to move from one-dimensional questionnaires to multidimensional ones to measure self-defeating patterns and to construct a new theory of self-defeating beliefs and behaviors.

The Bright Side of Threatened Narcissism: Improved Performance Following Ego Threat.

Narcissistic individuals have highly positive self-views and overestimate their abilities. Consequently, they tend to react aggressively whenever they receive information that does not match their high self-views (ego threat). We argue that focusing on aggression merely portrays a one-sided view of narcissistic individuals and the manner in which they counter ego threats. We propose that following ego threat, narcissism can also fuel performance. In four studies, we measured nonclinical narcissism and allocated Dutch undergraduate university students (N1 = 175, N2 = 142, N3 = 159, N4 = 174) to either an ego threat or a no ego threat condition. Ego threat involved negative feedback (Studies 1-2) or threat to uniqueness (Studies 3-4). We measured participants' intentions to complete a challenging task (Study 1), their creative performance (Studies 2-3), and their performance on an anagram task (Study 4). Across Studies 1-3, we consistently found that following ego threat, higher nonclinical narcissism was associated with greater willingness to perform tasks that enabled demonstration of abilities and enhanced creative performance. These results were confirmed using a meta-analysis. However, anagram performance was not enhanced following ego threat. We provide additional analyses that might help explain this. Our findings thus reveal a more positive side to the way narcissistic individuals manage threats to their self-image.

Cognitive trait anxiety, situational stress, and mental effort predict shifting efficiency: Implications for attentional control theory.

Attentional control theory (ACT) predicts that trait anxiety and situational stress interact to impair performance on tasks that involve attentional shifting. The theory suggests that anxious individuals recruit additional effort to prevent shortfalls in performance effectiveness (accuracy), with deficits becoming evident in processing efficiency (the relationship between accuracy and time taken to perform the task). These assumptions, however, have not been systematically tested. The relationship between cognitive trait anxiety, situational stress, and mental effort in a shifting task (Wisconsin Card Sorting Task) was investigated in 90 participants. Cognitive trait anxiety was operationalized using questionnaire scores, situational stress was manipulated through ego threat instructions, and mental effort was measured using a visual analogue scale. Dependent variables were performance effectiveness (an inverse proportion of perseverative errors) and processing efficiency (an inverse proportion of perseverative errors divided by response time on perseverative error trials). The predictors were not associated with performance effectiveness; however, we observed a significant 3-way interaction on processing efficiency. At higher mental effort (+1 SD), higher cognitive trait anxiety was associated with poorer efficiency independently of situational stress, whereas at lower effort (-1 SD), this relationship was highly significant and most pronounced for those in the high-stress condition. These results are important because they provide the first systematic test of the relationship between trait anxiety, situational stress, and mental effort on shifting performance. The data are also consistent with the notion that effort moderates the relationship between anxiety and shifting efficiency, but not effectiveness.

Narcissism dimensions differentially moderate selective attention to evaluative stimuli in incarcerated offenders.

Narcissistic personality disorder is associated with distinguishing traits including self-enhancement, arrogance, and intense reactivity to ego threat. Theoretical accounts of narcissism suggest these heterogeneous behaviors reflect a defensive motivational style that functions to both uphold and protect the self-concept. However, the notion that narcissism can be characterized by grandiose and vulnerable dimensions raises the possibility that these diverse behaviors represent distinct expressions of narcissistic defensiveness. The present study examined whether both dimensions exhibit a general defensive style marked by selective attention to evaluative stimuli or are differentially associated with selective attention to positive and negative information, respectively. Using a dot probe task consisting of valenced and neutral trait adjectives, we evaluated these hypotheses in a group of male offenders. Results indicated that vulnerable narcissism was associated with attention biases for both positive and negative stimuli, though the dimension was further distinguished by disengagement difficulties and a greater recognition memory bias in response to negative words. Conversely, grandiose narcissism was associated with increased accuracy when attending to positive stimuli and directing attention away from negative stimuli. Overall, these findings suggest narcissistic individuals share motivated selective attention in response to evaluative stimuli, while simultaneously highlighting important phenotypic differences between grandiose and vulnerable dimensions.

Self-affirmation facilitates cardiovascular recovery following interpersonal evaluation

Self-affirmation is known to reduce defensive psychological responses to ego threats. The current experiment tested the hypothesis that self-affirmation reduces physiological responses to a form of ego threat—interpersonal evaluation. Participants wrote an essay and received either neutral or insulting evaluative feedback about their essay, ostensibly from another participant. Then participants wrote about a core personal value (self-affirmation) or about a less important value (no self-affirmation). Lastly, participants played a competitive reaction time game that permitted them to blast their purported evaluator with noise. Noise blasts did not vary across conditions, but mean arterial blood pressure increased in response to being evaluated and returned to baseline more quickly following self-affirmation. Further, insulting (versus neutral) evaluative feedback caused a greater increase in heart rate, except among those who self-affirmed following the evaluation manipulation. These results suggest that self-affirmation facilitates the return to baseline cardiovascular activity following interpersonal evaluation.

EWOM Watchdogs: Ego‐Threatening Product Domains and the Policing of Positive Online Reviews

ABSTRACTSuspicion regarding dishonest electronic word‐of‐mouth is a growing concern for consumers online. Individual consumers are occasionally seen acting as product review forum “watchdogs” within the websites they visit, posting vigilante comments against reviews they perceive to be fraudulent. This multimethod set of studies investigates consumer “watchdog comments,” and the way in which ego‐threatening product categories themselves may actually induce a prosecutorial mindset, leading to greater levels of suspicion toward positive online product reviews and the impulse to prosecute potential fraudsters. In Study 1, laboratory‐induced ego threat increased punitive severity against the act of falsifying online product reviews. In Study 2, a content analysis of actual Amazon.com reviews and consumer commentary indicates that the occurrence of watchdog comments is more common within ego‐threatening product categories.

Narcissism and other-derogation in the absence of ego threat.

The relation between narcissism and other-derogation has been examined primarily in the context of ego threat. In three studies, we investigated whether narcissistic individuals derogate others in the absence of ego threat. In Study 1, 79 judges watched four videotaped dyadic interactions and rated the personality of the same four people. In Study 2, 66 judges rated the personality of a friend. In Study 3, 72 judges considered the average Northeastern University student and rated the personality of this hypothetical person. Across the three studies, targets' personality characteristics were described on the 100-item California Adult Q-Sort (CAQ; Block, 2008). Judges' ratings of targets were compared to a CAQ prototype of the optimally adjusted person to assess target-derogation. Judges' narcissism and other-derogation were positively related in Studies 1 and 2. Narcissism positively predicted and self-esteem negatively predicted target-derogation after controlling for each other in Study 3. Narcissistic individuals derogate others more than non-narcissistic individuals regardless of whether ego threat is present or absent.