Communal collective narcissism

Magdalena Żemojtel-Piotrowska; Jarosław Piotrowski; Constantine Sedikides; Artur Sawicki; Anna Z Czarna; Ramzi Fatfouta; Tomasz Baran

doi:10.1111/jopy.12636

Communal collective narcissism

J Pers. 2021 Oct;89(5):1062-1080. doi: 10.1111/jopy.12636. Epub 2021 Apr 24.

Authors

Magdalena Żemojtel-Piotrowska¹, Jarosław Piotrowski¹, Constantine Sedikides², Artur Sawicki³, Anna Z Czarna⁴, Ramzi Fatfouta⁵, Tomasz Baran⁶

Affiliations

¹ Institute of Psychology, Cardinal Stefan Wyszynski University in Warsaw, Warsaw, Poland.
² Center for Research on Self and Identity, School of Psychology, University of Southampton, Southampton, UK.
³ Institute of Psychology, University of Gdansk, Gdansk, Poland.
⁴ Institute of Applied Psychology, Faculty of Management and Social Communication, Jagiellonian University, Kraków, Poland.
⁵ Department of Psychology, University of Potsdam, Potsdam, Germany.
⁶ Faculty of Psychology, University of Warsaw, Warsaw, Poland.

PMID: 33829496
DOI: 10.1111/jopy.12636

Abstract

Objectives: We aimed to introduce, validate, and showcase the utility of a new construct: communal collective narcissism.

Method: We conducted four studies, in which we developed a new scale for communal collective narcissism (Study 1, N = 856), tested the construct's unique predictions (Study 2, N = 276), examined its social relevance (Study 3, N = 250), and assessed its implications for intergroup outcomes (Study 4, N = 664).

Results: In Study 1, we verified the structural soundness of the Communal Collective Narcissism Inventory. In Study 2, we obtained evidence for a defining feature of communal collective narcissism, namely, that it predicts communal, but not agentic, ingroup-enhancement. In Study 3, we illustrated the social relevance of communal collective narcissism. Communal collective narcissists derogated outgroup members, if those outgroups threatened the ingroup and the threat targeted the ingroup's communion. Finally, in Study 4, we showed that communal collective narcissism predicts intergroup outcomes in the communal domain (e.g., humanitarian aid) better than agentic collective narcissism does, whereas agentic collective narcissism predicts intergroup outcomes in the agentic domain (i.e., preferences for military aggression) better than communal collective narcissism does.

Conclusions: The construct of communal collective narcissism is conceptually and empirically distinct from classic (i.e., agentic) collective narcissism.

Keywords: agency-communion; collective narcissism; communal narcissism; intergroup relations; narcissism; outgroup derogation.

Publication types

Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

Aggression*
Humans
Narcissism*