How Narcissism Shapes Responses to Antisocial and Prosocial Behavior: Hypo-Responsiveness or Hyper-Responsiveness?

Abstract

Narcissists have a relatively higher proclivity for displaying antisocial rather than prosocial behaviors, suggesting a comparatively higher tendency for unfavorably impacting societies. However, maintenance of social order also depends on appropriate responses to others’ social behavior. Once we focus on narcissists as observers rather than actors, their impact on social functioning becomes less clear-cut. Theoretical arguments suggest that narcissists could be either hypo-responsive or hyper-responsive to others’ social behavior. Across four studies, we examined narcissists’ responsiveness to variations in others’ antisocial and prosocial behaviors. Results showed that narcissists differentiated less between others’ antisociality/prosociality, as reflected in their subsequent moral character evaluations (Studies 1–4) and reward and punishment (Studies 3 and 4). These results suggest that narcissists are hypo-responsive to others’ social behaviors. Implications and directions for future research are discussed.

Online firestorms: an act of civic engagement or a narcissistic boost? The role of brand misconduct appraisals

“…Consumers high in narcissism may require a different approach from consumers with high levels of civil engagement, because narcissists are prone to impulsivity and aggressiveness (Miller et al, 2011), and are less likely to forgive (Ong et al, 2011). This is especially relevant when the situation involves grandiose narcissists versus approval-seeking narcissists Notes: Ã p < 0.10; ÃÃ p < 0.05; ÃÃÃ p < 0.01 (Neave et al, 2020) or highly influential narcissists, such as opinion leaders in social networks (Chen et al, 2021). In this case, the brand could thank them for their valuable insight and claim that their involvement has inspired the brand to work harder and better.…”