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The Narcissistic Pursuit of Status

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Handbook of Trait Narcissism

Abstract

This chapter considers the factors that motivate narcissistic individuals to pursue external validation. Narcissistic individuals pursue external validation through various strategies (e.g., appearance enhancement, social media use), but we focus primarily on the desire for status because we believe it may be especially helpful for understanding the intrapsychic processes and interpersonal behaviors that characterize narcissistic individuals. We argue that the narcissistic concern for status may help us understand why the self-presentational goals of narcissistic individuals often focus on issues surrounding self-promotion or intimidation rather than affiliation. The lack of concern that narcissistic individuals have for affiliation suggests that their self-promotional efforts are not regulated by typical concerns about also being liked which may shed light on the reasons they engage in interpersonal behaviors that others tend to find irritating and aversive (e.g., being selfish or arrogant). We conclude by suggesting that the desire for status may be a fundamental aspect of narcissism that has the potential to provide additional insights into the cognitive processes and interpersonal behaviors that characterize narcissistic individuals rather than simply being one of the ways in which narcissistic individuals go about regulating their feelings of self-worth.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Oakland University, Rochester, MI, USA

    Virgil Zeigler-Hill, Jennifer K. Vrabel, Christopher M. Raby & Sinead Cronin

  2. University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY, USA

    Gillian A. McCabe

Authors
  1. Virgil Zeigler-Hill
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  2. Gillian A. McCabe
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  3. Jennifer K. Vrabel
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  4. Christopher M. Raby
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  5. Sinead Cronin
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Correspondence to Virgil Zeigler-Hill .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Psychology, Bradley University, Peoria, IL, USA

    Anthony D. Hermann

  2. Department of Psychology, Ohio State University at Mansfield, Mansfield, OH, USA

    Amy B. Brunell

  3. Department of Psychology, University of South Alabama, Mobile, AL, USA

    Joshua D. Foster

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Zeigler-Hill, V., McCabe, G.A., Vrabel, J.K., Raby, C.M., Cronin, S. (2018). The Narcissistic Pursuit of Status. In: Hermann, A., Brunell, A., Foster, J. (eds) Handbook of Trait Narcissism. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-92171-6_32

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