This personality is marked by a constant need for admiration and validation, always seeking to be the center of attention. And despite their apparent confidence, people with these traits are often more sensitive to signals of exclusion, which leads them to feel marginalized more easily.
A study by the American Psychological Association has pointed out that narcissists have an extreme sensitivity to rejection, specifically stating that they feel marginalized more frequently than their less egocentric peers. This may be due not only to being rejected because of their personality but also to a tendency to misinterpret ambiguous social signals as exclusion.
«Feeling excluded is a subjective experience based on the perception of social signals by the individual. Some may be intentionally excluded, while others may simply believe they are being excluded when that is not the case,» argues lead author Christiane Büttner from the University of Basel (Switzerland).
«Our findings suggest that people with higher levels of narcissism are more sensitive to signals of exclusion, leading them to perceive ostracism more frequently,» notes the researcher who published the study in the ‘Journal of Personality and Social Psychology’.
WHY IS THE NARCISSIST A TARGET OF OSTRACISM?
While narcissism can take various forms, researchers decided to focus exclusively on grandiose narcissism. This includes traits such as arrogance, dominance, a strong desire for admiration and recognition, as well as being extroverted individuals.
The research team first analyzed data from the German Socio-Economic Panel, a long-term and nationally representative survey of approximately 22,000 households in Germany. The study focused on 1,592 individuals who answered questions about narcissism and ostracism in 2015 and found that people with higher levels of narcissism reported experiencing significantly more ostracism.
To confirm these findings, researchers conducted a two-week study with 323 participants. These individuals completed narcissism assessments and reported past feelings of ostracism. Over the next 14 days, they recorded moments when they felt excluded or neglected using a mobile app.
«Participants with higher scores of narcissism reported feeling excluded more often in daily life, which aligns with the results of our previous survey,» Büttner points out.
A series of experiments involving over 2,500 participants further explored the link between narcissism and the feeling of exclusion. In one experiment, participants joined a virtual ball-tossing game where two other players either included or excluded them. In another experiment, hypothetical social situations were presented, and participants were asked to evaluate the degree of exclusion they felt.
The results showed that narcissistic individuals were more likely to perceive ambiguous social interactions as exclusionary, where ostracism is not explicitly manifested. To further reinforce this perception of social exclusion, additional experiments revealed that people often prefer to avoid highly narcissistic individuals.
Interestingly, researchers also found evidence that the relationship between narcissism and social exclusion works both ways. «Narcissism can contribute to social exclusion, but ostracism itself can also fuel the development of narcissistic traits,» Büttner explains.
By analyzing 14 years of data from a national survey in New Zealand involving over 72,000 participants, researchers observed that changes in feelings of exclusion were followed by changes in narcissism levels a year later, and vice versa.
According to Büttner, these findings highlight the complex interaction between personality traits and social experiences. Understanding this relationship can help better address workplace conflicts, social isolation, and even broader social issues.
«If individuals with high narcissistic traits are more likely to feel excluded and actually be excluded, this could contribute to increased tensions in workplaces or social groups. At the same time, their heightened sensitivity to exclusion could make them more prone to reacting aggressively,» she emphasizes.
These findings suggest that interventions aimed at improving interpersonal relationships and reducing social friction should take into account both the perceptions and behaviors of the individuals involved.
WHAT DEFINES A NARCISSIST?
A narcissistic person is someone with extremely high, often exaggerated self-esteem and a constant need for admiration and validation. These individuals tend to view the world in terms of how it affects or benefits their image and may feel superior to others.
Narcissism is characterized by a lack of empathy, as the narcissist primarily focuses on their own desires and needs, without much consideration for the feelings of others.
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