Rebels without a cause: Collective narcissism and political contrarianism

Abstract

In this paper, we examine the relationship between collective and individual forms of narcissism and two contrarian political orientations that are oppositional and purposefully destructive—need for chaos and anti-establishment orientation. In three studies (total N = 4144), we demonstrate that (1) national collective narcissism independently predicts higher need for chaos and anti-establishment orientation, (2) non-narcissistic ingroup satisfaction independently predicts lower levels of both contrarian orientations, (3) grandiose narcissism independently predicts higher need for chaos but not anti-establishment orientation, and (4) vulnerable narcissism independently predicts higher levels of both outcomes. We provide evidence for these relationships in cross-sectional regression analyses and in panel analyses that examine within-person construct changes from before to after the 2023 Polish election and better account for time-invariant confounders. Together, these findings suggest contrarian orientations may reflect a (frustrated) narcissistic demand to be recognized as better than others, both collectively and individually