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13 - Collective Narcissism

How Being Narcissistic about Your Groups Shapes Politics, Group Processes, and Intergroup Relations

from Part II - The Politics of Intergroup Attitudes

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  17 February 2022

By
Irem Eker ,
Aleksandra Cichocka  and
Aleksandra Cislak
Edited by
Danny Osborne  and
Chris G. Sibley
Danny Osborne
Affiliation:
University of Auckland
Chris G. Sibley
Affiliation:
University of Auckland
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Summary

Collective narcissism is a belief in the greatness of one’s social group, accompanied by a conviction that others do not appreciate the in-group enough. In this chapter, we review empirical studies which elucidate the antecedents and consequences of collective narcissism. Collective narcissism is thought to compensate for frustrated individual needs. Thus, those high in collective narcissism are more concerned with how their group reflects on them, rather than with caring for other in-group members. Accordingly, collective narcissism is associated with readiness to defend the in-group image from criticism but also using in-group members for personal gains. Furthermore, collective narcissism predicts negative out-group attitudes, extensive sensitivity to intergroup threats, conspiracy beliefs, intergroup hostility, and support for violent extremism. We discuss the implications of collective narcissism for voting and public policy, showing that it is associated with support for populist parties and politicians, anti-environmental policies as well as problematic public health policies.

Keywords

Collective narcissismPoliticsGroup processes
Type
Chapter
Information
The Cambridge Handbook of Political Psychology , pp. 214 - 227
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 2022

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