Evaluative organization of self-knowledge: The hidden vulnerability of compartmentalization.

Three studies explored the possibility that the structure of the self-concept is associated with fragile self-esteem. The model of self-concept structure examined in the present studies is evaluative organization, especially the distinction between compartmentalization and integration. Compartmentalization is the tendency to segregate positively and negatively valenced self-beliefs into separate self-aspects, whereas integration is the tendency for attributes of opposite valence to appear in the same self-aspects. Study 1 showed that compartmentalization was associated with state self-esteem that was less stable over time and that appeared to be more reactive to daily events and stress. Study 2 found that the state self-esteem of compartmentalized individuals appeared to be primarily reactive to social events and that the self-esteem of these individuals was contingent upon meeting certain standards (e.g., approval of others and physical appearance). Study 3 employed a laboratory manipulation of social rejection to confirm that the state self-esteem of compartmentalized individuals was highly reactive to social rejection. Findings across the three studies suggest that individuals with compartmentalized self-concept structures may be best characterized as possessing fragile self-esteem, whereas individuals with integrative self-concepts appear to possess self-esteem that is relatively secure. These results suggest that some of the benefits believed to be associated with compartmentalization (e.g., high self-esteem) may actually reflect defensive processes rather than true psychological adjustment

An Implicit Theory of Self-Esteem: The Consequences of Perceived Self-Esteem for Romantic Desirability

The provision of information appears to be an important property of self-esteem as evidenced by previous research concerning the status-tracking and status-signaling models of self-esteem. The present studies examine whether there is an implicit theory of self-esteem that leads individuals to assume targets with higher levels of self-esteem possess more desirable characteristics than those with lower levels of self-esteem. Across 6 studies, targets with ostensibly higher levels of self-esteem were generally rated as more attractive and as more desirable relationship partners than those with lower levels of self-esteem. It is important to note, however, that this general trend did not consistently emerge for female targets. Rather, female targets with high self-esteem were often evaluated less positively than those with more moderate levels of self-esteem. The present findings are discussed in the context of an extended informational model of self-esteem consisting of both the status-tracking and status-signaling properties of self-esteem

Peer Influence on Conformity and Confidence in a Perceptual Judgment Task

© 2020 by authors. Undergraduate college students were presented with two arrays of dots varying in numerosity on a computer screen and asked to indicate if the arrays differed in number. They also rated their level of confidence in their responses. Trials varied in difficulty based on the size of the arrays. On half of the trials, participants were shown the ostensible responses of confederates to test the effect of peer influence on numerosity judgments and participant confidence. On the other half of the trials, participants received no information about the responses of the confederates to provide a measure of baseline performance. Higher levels of conformity were observed for the difficult trials, on which participants were both less accurate and less confident. However, confidence ratings were influenced by peer judgments for easy trials but not for difficult trials. These data suggest that task difficulty influences conformity when making perceptual judgments

Narcissistic Personality Features and Social Trust: The Mediating Roles of the Dangerous and Competitive Social Worldviews

Narcissism has been shown to be associated with a lack of trust in others, but little is known about the factors that may play a role in the tendency for narcissistic individuals to mistrust others. The present research examined whether the associations that specific narcissistic personality features had with social trust were mediated by social worldviews. A large study of Iranian community members (N = 3,446; mean age of 34.28 years) revealed that the antagonistic and neurotic aspects of narcissism had negative indirect associations with social trust through the competitive social worldview, whereas the extraverted aspect of narcissism had a positive indirect association with social trust through the competitive social worldview. In addition, the extraverted and neurotic aspects of narcissism had positive indirect associations with social trust through the dangerous social worldview. These results suggest that the extraverted, antagonistic, and neurotic aspects of narcissism diverged in their associations with social trust and that the dangerous and competitive social worldviews played important roles in these associations. Discussion will focus on the implications of these results for understanding the roles that social worldviews play in the connections between narcissism and social trust

Laughing at the Looking Glass: Does Humor Style Serve as an Interpersonal Signal?

Objective: The provision of information appears to be an important feature of humor. The present studies examined whether humor serves as an interpersonal signal such that an individual\u27s style of humor is associated with how the individual is perceived by others. Method: We examined this issue across two studies. In Study 1, undergraduate participants (257 targets) were rated more positively by their friends and family members (1194 perceivers) when they possessed more benign humor styles. In Study 2, 1190 community participants rated the romantic desirability of targets ostensibly possessing different humor styles. Results: Across both studies, our results were consistent with the possibility that humor serves as a signal. More specifically, individuals with benign humor styles (affiliative and self-enhancing humor styles) were evaluated more positively than those targets with injurious humor styles (aggressive and self-defeating humor styles). Conclusion: These findings are discussed in terms of the role that humor may play in interpersonal perception and relationships

Narcizam i preuzimanje rizika: Uloge opasnih i natjecateljskih svjetonazora

Previous research has shown that narcissism is associated with risk-taking. However, little is known about the factors that may contribute to narcissistic individuals being more likely to engage in risk-taking behaviour. The present research examined whether social worldviews would mediate the associations that specific narcissistic personality features had with risk-taking across life domains in a sample of Iranian community members (N = 489). Our results revealed that the extraverted, antagonistic, and neurotic aspects of narcissism had positive indirect associations with risk-taking in certain life domains through the competitive social worldview. These results suggest that the tendency to view the social environment as intensely competitive may play an important role in the associations that narcissistic personality features have with risk-taking in certain life domains.Prijašnja su istraživanja pokazala da je narcizam povezan s preuzimanjem rizika. Međutim, malo se zna o čimbenicima koji doprinose češćemu uključivanju narcisoidnih pojedinaca u rizična ponašanja. Ovim je istraživanjem ispitana medijatorska uloga svjetonazora u objašnjenju povezanosti određenih narcističkih osobina ličnosti s preuzimanjem rizika u specifičnim domenama na uzorku sudionika iz Irana (N = 489). Naši su rezultati pokazali da su ekstravertirani, antagonistički i neurotični aspekti narcizma pozitivno neizravno povezani s preuzimanjem rizika u određenim  životnim domenama putem natjecateljskoga svjetonazora. Sklonost promatranja društvenoga okruženja kao izrazito kompetitivnoga može imati važnu ulogu u objašnjenju povezanosti narcističkih osobina ličnosti i preuzimanja rizika u određenim životnim domenama

Conexión entre los rasgos patológicos de la personalidad y la conducta interpersonal

An alternative model of pathological personality traits was recently developed in an effort to address the challenges associated with the categorical model of personality disorder classification (e.g., high rates of comorbidity, minimal overlap with modern conceptualizations of personality structure). More specifically, this alternative model provides a dimensional framework through which personality disorders can be understood in terms of their level of impairment in personality functioning. The development of this alternative model led to the construction of the Personality Inventory for the DSM-5 (PID-5; Krueger, Derringer, Markon, Watson, & Skodol, 2012) which assesses the presence and level of the following pathological personality traits: negative affectivity, detachment, antagonism, disinhibition, and psychoticism. These pathological personality traits are considered to be maladaptive variants of the basic personality dimensions described by the Big Five model (i.e., neuroticism, extraversion, agreeableness, conscientiousness, and openness; Thomas et al., 2013). We will focus our review on previous research concerning the interpersonal outcomes associated with the PID-5 pathological personality traits and suggest possible directions for future research.Un modelo alternativo de rasgos patológicos de la personalidad se ha desarrollado últimamente con la intención de abordar los retos relacionados con el modelo categórico de clasificación de trastornos de la personalidad (p. ej. alta tasa de comorbilidad, coincidencia mínima con conceptualizaciones modernas de la estructura de la personalidad). Más específico, este modelo alternativo ofrece un marco dimensional que posibilita que los trastornos de la personalidad se entiendan en términos de su nivel de deterioro del funcionamiento de la personalidad. El desarrollo de este modelo alternativo llevó a cabo el Inventario de la Personalidad para el DSM-5 (PID-5; Krueger, Derringer, Markon, Watson y Skodol, 2012) que valora la presencia y el nivel de los siguientes rasgos patológicos de la personalidad: afectividad negativa, desapego, antagonismo, desinhibición y psicoticismo. Estos rasgos patológicos de la personalidad se consideran variantes mal adaptadas de las dimensiones básicas de la personalidad descritas por el Modelo de los cinco grandes (neuroticismo, extraversión, amabilidad, responsabilidad y apertura a nuevas experiencias, Thomas et al., 2013). Enfocaremos nuestro análisis en las investigaciones previas que tratan el tema de resultados interpersonales relacionados con los rasgos patológicos de la personalidad PID-5 y sugeriremos posibles direcciones para las investigaciones futuras

Understanding narcissistic spending: The connections between narcissistic personality traits and conspicuous consumption

The present study explored potential factors that may mediate the relationship between narcissism and conspicuous consumption, as the underlying reasons for this connection remain uncertain. Specifically, we investigated the following variables as potential mediators of the links between narcissistic personality traits and conspicuous consumption: consumer need for uniqueness, materialism, approval seeking, material meaning, consumer sexual signaling, and need for social status. In a sample of 2,944 Israeli community members, our study revealed that extraverted, antagonistic, neurotic, and communal narcissism frequently exhibited positive indirect connections with conspicuous consumption through these mediating factors, with the most robust associations often being observed for antagonistic narcissism. However, a clear departure from this pattern became apparent when the anticipated mediation of the connections between narcissistic personality traits and conspicuous consumption via the need for social status did not unfold as predicted. In contrast, extraverted, antagonistic, and communal narcissism exhibited negative indirect associations with conspicuous consumption through the need for social status. Collectively, these findings indicate both commonalities and distinctions in how narcissistic personality traits are associated with conspicuous consumption via specific mediators. The discussion delves into the significance of these outcomes in shedding light on why conspicuous consumption holds allure for individuals with narcissistic tendencies

A Dark Web of Personality: Network Analyses of Dark Personality Features and Pathological Personality Traits

Network analysis offers an opportunity to gain a more nuanced view of the connections between the darker aspects of personality by examining the interrelationships between the components that make up these constructs. We examined the associations that five dark personality dispositions (i.e., narcissism, Machiavellianism, psychopathy, sadism, and spitefulness) had with pathological personality traits (i.e., antagonism, disinhibition, detachment, negative affectivity, and psychoticism) via network analysis. These dark personality networks were examined in four studies (N = 1,800), wherein the second study attempted to replicate the network from the first study, while the last two studies incorporated more specific and independent measures of dark personality features (e.g., grandiose and vulnerable narcissism). Although there were differences across network structures in these studies, the pathological personality trait of antagonism consistently evinced high expected influence centrality (i.e., it was the most strongly connected and possibly influential trait in each network). Our discussion focuses on the implications of these results for the understanding of the connections between the darker aspects of personality