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Article
Grandiose Narcissism Predicts Willingness to Behave Badly, Without Proportional Tolerance for Others’ Bad Behavior
Current Psychology
  • Harry M. Wallace, Trinity University
  • Benjamin R M Scheiner, Trinity University
  • Andrew Grotzinger
Document Type
Post-Print
Publication Date
6-1-2016
Abstract

Narcissists characteristically behave badly; our study investigated how they respond to experiencing others’ bad behavior. After completing the Narcissistic Personality Inventory, a measure of grandiose narcissism, participants reported their willingness to engage in different inconsiderate or unethical common behaviors. Then they reported how bothered they would feel in response to experiencing each of the same bad behaviors—perpetrated by someone else. Participants overall reported feeling bothered by others’ bad behavior, but narcissism was unrelated to intolerance judgments. Narcissists are often highly reactive when their inflated self-views are challenged, but our study suggests that narcissists are not uniquely bothered by everyday minor offenses. However, when viewed from a different angle, narcissists’ level of intolerance could be interpreted as unjustly high, because they reported more willingness to engage in behavior that could bother others, yet did not show proportional tolerance for others’ bothersome behavior.

Identifier
10.1007/s12144-016-9410-x
Publisher
Springer Nature
Citation Information
Wallace, H. M., Scheiner, B. R. M., & Grotzinger, A. (2016). Grandiose narcissism predicts willingness to behave badly, without proportional tolerance for others' bad behavior. Current Psychology, 35(2), 234-243. doi: 10.1007/s12144-016-9410-x