From Individual Anxiety to Collective Narcissism? Adult Attachment Styles and Different Types of National Commitment

Abstract

National narcissism and national identification, two distinct types of national commitment, differ in terms of their psychological concomitants. Therefore, in the current article, we hypothesized that they would also relate to different adult attachment styles. Namely, we proposed that national narcissism would be positively associated with higher attachment anxiety, while national identification would be associated with lower attachment anxiety and avoidance. These hypotheses were tested in three cross-sectional surveys (Study 1 N = 570; Study 3 N = 558; Study 4 N = 649) and one longitudinal survey (Study 2 N = 808). In all studies, we found a consistent positive relationship between attachment anxiety and national narcissism, and a negative relationship between attachment avoidance and national identification. Finally, we also demonstrated indirect effects of attachment anxiety (via national narcissism) on maladaptive group-related outcomes: conspiracy beliefs, non-normative collective action, and willingness to conspire.

Shake it off! Adaptive coping with stress reduces national narcissism

“…Attempting to unravel the interwoven threads of social identity, scholars have turned their attention towards the significance of group attachment for both individual and group‐level processes (Cichocka & Cislak, 2020; Golec de Zavala, 2019; Marchlewska, Górska, et al, 2022). Interestingly, past results demonstrated that individuals may commit to the group they identify with in ways that differ in terms of this relationship's roots, as well as its social consequences (e.g.…”

“…Based on previous theorizing and research, which argued that a weak and threatened ego should be linked to a defensive and hostile, rather than a secure and constructive identity (e.g. Cichocka, 2016; Fromm, 1973; Marchlewska, Górska, et al, 2022), we assumed that individual inability to adaptively cope with life stressors should translate into searching for a strong collective to compensate for individual shortcomings. In contrast, higher ability to cope with stressors in an adaptive way should be linked to lower levels of defensive in‐group identity.…”

“…For example, Cichocka et al (2018) found that low personal control increased national narcissism, while Golec de Zavala et al (2020) showed that low self‐esteem predicted higher national narcissism. Moreover, Marchlewska, Górska, et al (2022) demonstrated that attachment anxiety was consistently related to higher national narcissism.…”

“…These findings suggested that although national narcissism might serve a compensatory function, it seemed unsuccessful in satisfying the individual's frustrated motives (Cichocka, 2016). On the contrary, some evidence suggested that being narcissistically attached to one's nation might, in fact, contribute to an even greater frustration—as national narcissism also strengthened attachment anxiety (Marchlewska, Górska, et al, 2022). Overall, these studies suggested that individual‐level shortcomings could easily translate into collective defensiveness in the form of national narcissism, which is focused on entitlement and concern about the external recognition of the in‐group in the eyes of others (Golec de Zavala et al, 2013).…”

“…Most of all, classical psychological theorizing (Fromm, 1973) and recent research (Cichocka, 2016; Cichocka et al, 2018; Golec de Zavala et al, 2020; Marchlewska, Górska, et al, 2022) demonstrated that national narcissism derived from the individual's deficiencies. In line with this, individual's shortcomings in the important areas of functioning can result in narcissistic identification with one's nation.…”