GRANDIOSE AND VULNERABLE NARCISSISTS’ SENSE OF POWER AND PERCEPTIONS OF CONTROL WITHIN SOCIAL CONTEXTS DIFFER
Sean Sullivan (Bridgewater State University) & Dr. Ashley Hansen-Brown (Bridgewater State University)
Sean Sullivan (Bridgewater State University) & Dr. Ashley Hansen-Brown (Bridgewater State University)
This was very well-done! I wonder, what factors influence whether someone will become a grandiose narcissist or a vulnerable narcissist?
There is not yet a generally excepted theory as to why narcissism produces each distinct variant (GN and VN) which share a common core of traits. This research explores perceptions of control as the main point of divergence, which is proposed by the Perceived Control Theory of Narcissism (Hansen-Brown, 2018). Other research proposes the divergence is explained via the Big Five (Miller, Lynam, Hyatt, & Campbell, 2017). Research by Krizan and Herlache identify entitled self-importance as the core of narcissism, with GN expressing bold characteristics relative to self-importance while VN are reactive. So this is an active and exciting question.
Very interesting study! Really enjoyed listening to your overview.
Nice work, Sean! It’s great to see the final product of your honors thesis. Are you hoping to continue with this line of research?
Dr. Jackson, thank you. Yes, currently Dr. Hansen-Brown and I are working on a study to explore the relationship between trait narcissism and objectification. The study will tie into the research above involving trait narcissism and perceptions of control, and a previous study we did involving trait narcissism and helping behavior. A thread all three studies share is they examine trait narcissism in a social context. We examine attitudes and behaviors of trait narcissist towards known individuals (friends) and unknown individuals (strangers).