Do Mean Guys Always Finish First or Just Say That They Do? Narcissists’ Awareness of Their Social Status and Popularity Over Time

Abstract

Narcissists crave respect and admiration. Do they attain the status and popularity they crave, or do they just think that they do? In two studies (Ns = 133 and 94), participants completed the Narcissistic Personality Inventory, described themselves on core personality traits (e.g., extraversion), and were described by an informant on those traits. Participants also provided self- and peer ratings of status and liking in small groups after an initial meeting and over the course of 4 months (Study 2). Relative to people lower, people higher in narcissism initially attained, but eventually lost status; yet, they were aware that they tended to lose status. Narcissists were not especially popular, although they tended to think they were more popular. These patterns differed among narcissism facets, providing further support for the idea that the mixed adaptiveness of narcissism may be due to the heterogeneity of the construct.

Meta-accuracy and relationship quality: Weighing the costs and benefits of knowing what people really think about you.

“…For example, meta-accuracy might be especially beneficial for people who tend to form overly negative metaperceptions, such as social anxiety, (Christensen, Stein, & Means-Christensen, 2003), because expecting negative evaluations seems to hinder relationship quality. Likewise, accuracy might attenuate the negative impact of personality problems (e.g., personality disorders) on relationship quality given that judges seem to enjoy people who know the impressions they make regardless of whether impressions are desirable (Carlson & Oltmanns, 2015). With respect to individual differences in judges, some people are especially positive or especially critical judges of other people (Srivastava, Guglielmo, & Beer, 2010).…”

Do Psychologically Adjusted Individuals Know What Other People Really Think About Them? The Link Between Psychological Adjustment and Meta-Accuracy

“…In romantic relationships, the link between positively biased evaluations about one's relationship and relationship quality decreases over time (Fletcher & Kerr, 2010) while being understood becomes more important over time (L. Campbell, Lackenbauer, & Muise, 2006;Letzring & Noftle, 2010). Likewise, people who tend to self-enhance thrive in short-term contexts but lose social value over time, suggesting that accuracy becomes more important as people get to know each other (Carlson & Desjardins, 2015;Paulhus, 1998). Thus, accuracy, positivity, and bias might serve different functions over time and could be linked to adjustment at different points in time.…”

Blissfully Blind or Painfully Aware? Exploring the Beliefs People With Interpersonal Problems Have About Their Reputation

“…One explanation for this pattern comes from work on narcissism, a trait linked to dominance problems (Matano & Locke, ). People with more narcissistic tendencies tend to enjoy a good reputation in the early phase of acquaintanceship, but over time, people tend to see these individuals in a negative light (Carlson & DesJardins, ; Carlson, Vazire, & Oltmanns, ; Paulhus, ). While people higher in narcissism seem to know their reputation sours, they do not necessarily understand how their reputation changes (Carlson, Vazire, & Oltmanns, ).…”