Too great to be guilty? Individuals high in collective narcissism demand closure regarding the past to attenuate collective guilt

Abstract

While the Holocaust is widely regarded by Germans as one of the worst human atrocities, they differ in their readiness to express guilt or, in contrast, in their demand to close this chapter of history. We propose that such demand for historical closure (HC) is particularly pronounced among individuals high in collective narcissism and is systematically related to reduced collective guilt. Across three studies (N = 1383), collective narcissism was significantly related to demand for HC, even when controlling for national identification and national pride. Moreover, collective narcissism was associated with reduced guilt only via demanding HC, but not via the defensive strategies generalization or moral delegitimization of the victims. Yet, collective narcissism was associated via all three defensive strategies with actual donations to support Holocaust survivors. We discuss how demanding HC helps group members to shield their ingroup from its negative past, thus alleviating aversive feelings of collective guilt.

Moral exemplars and moral disillusionment. How the perception of Poles' behavior during the Holocaust shapes current Polish‐Israeli conflicted relations?

“…The moral exemplars model of reconciliation (Cehajic‐Clancy & Bilewicz, 2021) proposes that by focusing on moral behavior during the genocide, the descendants of perpetrators, bystanders, and victims could become more willing to reconcile and engage in intergroup contact. At the same time, it is also apparent that exaggerated morality of the ingroup, particularly within a conflict situation, is part of the narcissistic identification that has rather detrimental consequences on current intergroup relations and reduces the sense of guilt (Bocian et al, 2021; Kazarovytska & Imhoff, 2022). In this research, we propose that moral exemplars can serve different roles among historically victimized groups and historical perpetrators or bystanders.…”

“‘Cause We Are the Champions of the World”

“…The emphasis on the reinforcement of the ingroup image can, in fact, prevent the constructive change and translate into supporting various activities made solely for show instead of putting some effort in genuine actions (Cislak, Cichocka et al, 2021). Denying ingroup wrongdoings can also impede reconciliation with difficult past (Kazarovytska & Imhoff; 2022; Roccas et al, 2006). Thus, the current results are in line with the growing literature showing that collective narcissism is not only related to negative attitudes towards other groups but also to the support of various policies and attitudes that may harm one’s own group (Cislak et al, 2018; Gronfeldt, Cislak et al, 2022).…”

“…Those higher in Polish national narcissism tended to report the lower percentage of Poles collaborating with the Nazis during World War II and to overestimate the percentage of Poles helping Jews during the occupation. Recently, Kazarovytska and Imhoff (2022) demonstrated that Germans high in national narcissism reported also higher levels of demand for historical closure – i.e., a demand to close the chapter of German history concerning the Holocaust (see also Roccas et al, 2006). At the same time, secure national identification was associated with paying more attention to the ingroup’s past mistakes and the dark pages of Polish history.…”

Tensions between collective‐self forgiveness and political repair

“…For example, Germans tended to see the Holocaust as further in the past, particularly when they felt blamed and threatened in their social identity (Peetz et al., 2010). Indeed, strongly identified group members, specifically those engaging in collective narcissism (i.e., the tendency to exaggerate the ingroup's positive image and importance), may seek to bring closure to historical wrongdoings by drawing a line between the past and the present (Kazarovytska & Imhoff, 2022a). These defensive mechanisms not only shield the ingroup against the negative image and identity implications but also reduce the experience of collective guilt that acts as a motivator for reparation and reconciliation (Doosje et al., 1998).…”