Too great to act in solidarity: The negative relationship between collective narcissism and solidarity‐based collective action

Abstract

Three studies examined the association between narcissistic identification with one’s advantaged in‐group and engagement in solidarity‐based collective action. Drawing on theory and past research, a negative effect of collective narcissism on solidarity‐based collective action was expected. A two‐wave longitudinal study (N = 162) found that Polish participants’ narcissistic, but not secure, national identification decreased their willingness to engage in collective action in solidarity with refugees over time. A field study (N = 258) performed during a mass protest against a proposed abortion ban showed that men’s gender‐based collective narcissism was a negative predictor of solidarity‐based engagement (operationalized as protest behavior and collective action intentions) and this effect was mediated by lowered empathy for women. Finally, a web‐based survey (N = 1,992) revealed that heterosexual/cisgender individuals’ collective narcissism was negatively associated with collective action intentions in support of LGBT rights and that this effect was sequentially mediated by increased intergroup anxiety and decreased empathy for LGBT people. Theoretical implications of the present findings, research limitations, and future directions are discussed.

Male, National, and Religious Collective Narcissism Predict Sexism

“…The present results extend and complement previous findings indicating that male collective narcissism is negatively related to men's solidarity with women's collective actions against gender discrimination (Górska et al 2019). The present results elucidate that male collective narcissism is associated with sexism and endorsement of gender inequality when men feel their masculinity is threatened.…”

“…In line with previous research indicating that collective narcissism is related to prejudice toward out-groups perceived as threatening Golec de Zavala et al 2009;Lyons et al 2010), studies showed that male collective narcissism (but not nonnarcissistic positive gender identification) was associated with perceived threat from women (Górska et al 2019). Previous research has also shown that collective narcissism is associated with intergroup hostility because of the perception of the in-group as threatened (Golec de Zavala et al 2009;Golec de Zavala and Cichocka 2012).…”

“…Research has also suggested that male collective narcissism thwarts empathy toward and solidarity with women who are perceived as a threatening out-group (Górska et al 2019). The present studies extend the previous research by examining, for the first time known, the associations among collective narcissism and hostile (derogatory and antagonistic beliefs about women as a social group rooted in intergroup-level competition of men with women) and benevolent sexism (paternalistic prejudice based on the belief that women are passive and incompetent and should be protected).…”

Superficial ingroup love? Collective narcissism predicts ingroup image defense, outgroup prejudice, and lower ingroup loyalty

“…Because of the lack of trust towards other groups, collective narcissism also predicts generalized prejudice towards members of groups that tend to be perceived as threatening by ingroup members. For instance, American collective narcissism predicted prejudicial attitudes towards Chinese (Cai & Gries, ), Arabs (Lyons, Kenworthy & Popan, ) and undocumented Latinos (Lyons, Coursey, & Kenworthy, ), while Polish collective narcissism predicts lower concern for refugees (e.g., Górska et al , ), anti‐Semitism (Golec de Zavala & Cichocka, ), and prejudice towards ethnic minorities more broadly (Cichocka, Dhont, & Makwana, ; Golec de Zavala, Cichocka, & Bilewicz, ; for evidence from longitudinal research see Cichocka, Golec de Zavala et al , ). These effects of collective narcissism are usually observed when controlling for ingroup identification.…”

Partisanship and Political Work: Differential Associations of Partisan Identification and Partisan Narcissism with Politicians’ Skills and Performance

“…Past studies mostly focused on collective narcissism in the national context (e.g., , only occasionally applying it to other groups, including gender (Górska et al, 2020) and business (Cichocka, 2016), religious (Marchlewska, Cichocka, Łozowski, Górska, & Winiewski, 2019) or extremist (Jasko et al, 2020) organisations. Here, we examine the role of collective narcissism within the political party context.…”