Feeling Superior but Threatened: The Relation of Narcissism to Social Comparison

Abstract

The relationship of narcissism to naturalistic social comparison was examined in a daily diary study. Of the participants, 98 reported the social comparisons that they encountered and noticed in their everyday lives over a 3-day period. Participants reported experiencing positive affect from downward comparisons and negative affect from upward comparisons. These relationships were moderated by narcissistic personality traits, such that individuals high in narcissistic traits tended to experience more extreme affective responses to social comparison than did individuals low in narcissistic personality traits. Individuals with higher narcissism scores on the Narcissistic Personality Inventory (NPI; Raskin & Hall, 1979) experienced increased positive affect from downward comparison and increased hostility from upward comparison; individuals with higher scores on the exploitiveness or entitlement subscale of the NPI experienced bolstered positive affect and self-esteem from downward comparison. These findings suggest that narcissists' extreme mood variability and reactivity, which have been observed in previous research, can be partially accounted for by their sensitivity to social comparison information.