Narcissism: Its function in modulating self-conscious emotions

Abstract

This study focused on the functional aspects of narcissism in regulating self-conscious emotions (guilt, shame, hubristic pride, and achievement-oriented pride) as well as two other attribution styles (externalization and detachment). The authors investigated Japanese university students (N = 452) with regard to their self-conscious emotions using the Test of Self-Conscious Affect-3 (TOSCA-3) and their narcissistic personality using the short version of Narcissistic Personality Inventory (NPI-S). Structural equation modeling was used for the analysis. The authors found that narcissism led individuals to feel achievement-oriented pride, hubristic pride, externalization, and detachment, but inhibited feelings of shame. It did not have a significant effect on guilt. Shame-proneness prompted hubristic pride and externalization. Guilt-proneness inclined an individual toward achievement-oriented pride, but deterred externalization. In this article, the authors present and interpret these results in detail and then discuss how they can be utilized in psychotherapy.

Shame and Guilt: Relationships of Test of Self-Conscious Affect Measures With Psychological Adjustment and Gender Differences in Iran

“…On the other hand, Japanese investigations using university age students as the research participants have confirmed that the TOSCA Shame Scale predicts maladjustment, but they have offered little or no support for the idea that the TOSCA Guilt Scale operationalizes adjustment (Hasui et al, 2009;Uji, Kitamura, & Nagata, 2011a,b;Uji, Nagata, & Kitamura, 2012). In short, the meaning of the TOSCA Shame and Guilt Scales across cultures clearly deserves additional research attention, especially in older samples.…”

Self-Conscious Emotions and Materialism

“…Narcissism involves a type of self-awareness whereby the self is more externalized and the individual is more likely to be materialistic (e.g., Rose, 2007; Uji, Nagata, & Kitamura, 2012). As Cisek, Hart, and Sedikides (2008) argue, “… for narcissists, money is the primary buffer against pain, meaninglessness, and other existential problems …” (p. 205).…”

Moral Affects, Empathy, and Integrative Self-Knowledge in Iran

“…The implication, therefore, was that guilt may have negative mental health implications in Iran that are not evident in the West. This possibility seems apparent in at least some Japanese research as well (Hasui et al, 2009;Uji et al, 2011aUji et al, , 2011bUji et al, , 2012.…”

“…In exploring this possibility, Furukawa, Tangney, and Higashibara (2012) found that Korean, Japanese, and American children displayed differences in their average levels of shame and guilt, but linkages of these measures with other variables were similar across cultures. Japanese investigations examining university students also found that the TOSCA Shame Scale predicted maladjustment, but yielded little or no support for the contention that its guilt scale operationalized a more adaptive form of functioning (Hasui, Kitamura, Tamaki, Takahashi, Masuda, & Ozeki, 2009;Uji, Kitamura, & Nagata, 2011a, 2011bUji, Nagata, & Kitamura, 2012). In comparison to Western findings, therefore, studies in the Far East suggest that average levels of these moral affects may be different, that shame displays conceptually similar patterns of relationships with other measures, but that guilt may develop with less positive mental health implications.…”