Task 6: narcissism

Question 1

social learning theory

Answer 1

• narcissism is cultivated by parental overvaluation

- acquire narcissism through internalizing parents’ inflated views of them

Question 2

parenting style in infancy/very young childhood & narcissism

Answer 2

-authoritarian: too little responsiveness + too much demandingness

Question 3

parenting style in adolescence & narcissism

Answer 3

-indulgent: too great responsiveness + too little demandingness

Question 4

permissive parenting & narcissism and aggression

Answer 4

not related to development of cognitive schemas (including narcissistic view) or aggression

Question 5

lack of parental warmth & narcissism and aggression

Answer 5

-important in development of narcissism, negative self-views and child-to parent aggression

Question 6

parental warmth & narcissism

Answer 6

• girls: decrease in disconnection and rejection

- boys: predicted narcissism

Question 7

defense of denial

Answer 7

• Narcissism may be defensive process
• Defend individual from anxiety associated with negative sense of self
• Maintaining façade of self-importance, entitlement and condescension
• Narcissist defends against recognition of self-doubt, vulnerability, and worthlessness
• > the immature defense of denial at age 23 is associated with maladaptive narcissism
• May explain continuity of maladaptive narcissism: protecting the individual over time from recognizing the negative consequences of maladaptive narcissistic behavior

Question 8

Psychoanalytic theory of narcissism

Answer 8

narcissism cultivated by lack of warmth

Question 9

General characteristics of Narcissism

Answer 9

• Feel superior, fantasize about personal success, believe they deserve special treatment
• When feeling humiliated: prone to lash out aggressively or violently
• Increased risk for mental health problems: drug addiction, depression, anxiety
• Higher in western countries
• Levels increase in youth
• 7 to 12 years: key developmental phase in which individual differences in narcissism first emerge

Question 10

possible interventions narcissism

Answer 10

-Parent-training: help parents convey affection and appreciation to children without conveying that they are superior to others

Question 11

adapative/autonomous

Answer 11

• Healthy ambitions, energy, creativity and empathy
• Underlying sense of self that is firm and cohesive
• May be overly ambitious but have sufficient interpersonal sensitivity not to suffer the eventual rejection
• Difference to self-esteem: high ambitions, preference to function without collaboration, idiosyncratic thought processes

Question 12

maladaptive narcissism

Answer 12

• Self-aggrandizement, power seeking, condescension, inflated sense of self that masks underlying feelings of vulnerability and insecurity
• 2 subgroups:
  1) overt/grandiose: open expression of grandiosity, self-confidence, and condescension, willful manipulation and exploitation
  2) covert

Question 13

precursors of narcissism in childhood

Answer 13

• excessive need for attention and admiration, exhibitionism, impulsivity, aggression, and chronic violation of rules
• possible to identify precursors at young age (3yo)

Question 14

authoritarian/autocratic parenting style

Answer 14

-shape, control, evaluate according to a set standard
-obedience to authority is stressed
-orders are expected to be obeyed without explanation
-demanding & unresponsive
> child feels incompetent

Question 15

autoritative/responsive parenting

Answer 15

-clear standards
-reasoning and explanation to influence behavior
-assertive but not intrusive
-consider child’s point of view
-assume that child has rights
-demand & responsive
> supports competent skill building and self-regulation, supports autonomy

Question 16

indulgent/permissive parenting

Answer 16

-expresses affection easily
-difficult to punish
-does not require mature behavior
-more responsive than demanding
> supports sense of being respected and desirable to others
> in early childhood: positive results

Question 17

indifferent/uninvolved parenting

Answer 17

-handle problems alone, be independent, take responsibility
-neither demanding nor responsive
> child feels incompetent

Question 18

healthy adaptive narcissism

Answer 18

• Predicted by early gratification of physical and psychological needs, authoritative or indulgent/permissive parenting
• Authoritarian style: negative predictor
• Indifferent parenting NOT a negative predictor

Question 19

SNS and self-presenation

Answer 19

• > profile picture: most important means for self-presentation
• > adolescents: receptive to SNS because they can connect to peers without adult surveillance and facilitate identity construction and experimentation within a social context

Question 20

extraversion and SNS

Answer 20

-Amongst big 5, extraversion most important personality trait in predicting SNS (social networking site)

Question 21

CMC - social compensation hypothesis

Answer 21

• introverts gain more from CMC because use of platforms compensate for weaker social skills
• > introverts found SNS more appealing than traditional communication methods and spent more time using SNS than extraverts

Question 22

CMC - rich-get-richer

Answer 22

• extraverts gain more from usage, because offline sociability is transferred to CMC platforms
• Extraversion related to social media usage
• Most important predictor of SNS usage for emerging adults
• Extraversion related to larger social networks on SNS
• Likely that extraverts find SNS appealing as offline interactions and do not use it as substitution

Question 23

SNS and narcissism

Answer 23

• accounted for self-presentation through self-generated content
• profile picture: narcissistic adolescents rated their picture more attractive, fashionable, glamorous and cool than their less narcissistic peers did
• more narcissistic: more acutely concerned about appearances
• status update: more narcissistic -> more frequently updated
• higher narcissism -> enjoy self-presentational mature of SNS
• narcissism does not manifest in social network size and photo count (system-generated)
• > contradicts results that more narcissistic people have larger online social networks

Question 24

SNS and extraversion

Answer 24

• more extraverted: greater self-presentation through all features
• can predict social network size and photo count

Question 25

diathesis stress model - narcissism

Answer 25

- maladaptive socialization/sociocultural experiences (stress) -> activate temperamental or genetic vulnerabilities to develop narcissistic traits (the diathesis) - example: child high in approach temperament (sensitivity to rewards) + parents who are overvaluating the child -> child easily becomes overly dependent on positive attention - serotonin transporter promoter polymorphism: can increase susceptibility to socialization experiences

Question 26

consequences of narcissism

Answer 26

- if self-views threatened: prone to respond emotionally and aggressively - links between narcissism and physical, verbal, and relational aggression as well as antisocial or delinquent behaviors - promotes stability of aggressive behavior - > narcissistic youths particularly prone to aggression if also high self-esteem - more likely to suffer from anxiety, especially social anxiety if low self-esteem

Question 27

psychological reactivity and narcissism

Answer 27

- tendency to respond to triggering events with intense feelings or intrusive cognitions - > narcissistic children are prone to emotional extremes (positive and negative) - > reactivity may be particularly likely to manifest itself following ego-threatening events

Question 28

intergenerational transmission of violence within the family

Answer 28

- Victimized by parents, parents aggressing against each other or siblings aggressing against each other: increase likelihood of child-to-parent aggression - Child to father aggression: family violence was only predictor in boys - Exposure to family violence did not predict an increase in justification of violence - Exposure to violence = direct influence on aggression

Question 29

Schemas as mediators for aggression

Answer 29

- Parents lack of warmth and support: development of schemas involving feelings of disconnection and rejection by others and narcissistic self-views - Disconnection and rejection predicted child-to-parent aggression in boys and girls - Narcissism: predicts c-t-p aggression only in boys - Rejection and narcissism not predicted by exposure to violence - Parenting style influences aggression on a indirect way through schemas