The Relation of Individual and Collective Narcissism and Belief in COVID-19 Conspiracy Theories: The Moderating Effects of Needs for Uniqueness and Belonging

Abstract

The international pandemic of Covid-19 not only led to chaos and uncertainty, but it also brought about many conspiracy theories. In the last two decades, with a considerable amount of research, social psychologists have begun to understand the psychological factors behind conspiracy theories. One such factor is narcissism. In this research, we focus on both collective and grandiose narcissism’s predictive effects on Covid-19 conspiracy theories and possible moderation of need for uniqueness and belonging. In a Turkish sample (N= 309), we found that both collective and grandiose narcissism were significant predictors of Covid-19 conspiracy. In addition, when the need to feel special was high, grandiose narcissists, but not collective narcissists, tended to believe in Covid-19 conspiracies. Finally, we found that generic conspiracy beliefs and religiosity were also important predictors of Covid-19 conspiracy theories. Our research illuminates the link between narcissism and Covid-19 conspiracy theories. Future research should look for other possible moderating factors between collective narcissism and conspiracy beliefs.