The Relationship Between Grandiose Narcissism,Vulnerable Narcissism,and Conspicuous Prosocial Behavior

Narcissism is a personality trait characterized by arrogance,a sense of power,and a willingness to exploit others.It is divided into two categories: grandiose narcissism(narcissistc admiration and narcissistic rivalry)and vulnerable narcissism.Conspicuous prosocial behavior refers to prosocial behavior that can be publicly displayed to others and can help improve the image of individuals in the eyes of others.Narcissists have unique prosocial behavior patterns.However,when examining the relationship between grandiose narcissism and prosocial behavior,previous studies did not take vulnerable narcissism,which is significantly positively correlated with grandiose narcissism,into account,and did not exclude the influence of vulnerable narcissism.At the same time,there has been a contradiction between past research on the relationship between vulnerable narcissism and prosocial behavior,and the relationship between narcissistic admiration,narcissistic rivalry,and conspicuous prosocial behavior has not been clearly revealed.In this study,the relationship between different types of narcissism and conspicuous prosocial behavior was investigated simultaneously,and the moderating and mediating variables were analyzed to explore the complexity of the relationship between narcissism and prosocial behavior.The findings not only reveal the characteristics and functions of different types of narcissism,but also contribute to the cultivation of prosocial behavior among narcissists.Study 1 examines the moderating effect of conspicuous characteristics on the relationships between grandiose narcissism,vulnerable narcissism,and prosocial behavior from the perspective of public welfare donation willingness,a prosocial behavior.Study 2focused on individuals’ willingness to purchase prosocial products and examined the moderating effect of conspicuous characteristics on the relationships between vulnerable narcissism,narcissistic admiration,narcissistic rivalry,and prosocial behavior.Based on the previous two studies,Study 3 introduced the mediating variable of pathological concern to explore the mechanism of vulnerable narcissism’s influence on conspicuous prosocial behavior.Based on Study 2,Study 4 explored the chain mediating role of prestige,dominance,and self-esteem needs between narcissistic admiration,narcissistic rivalry,and conspicuous prosocial behavior from a self-esteem perspective using photographic materials.This study draws the following conclusions:(1)Conspicuous characteristics play a moderating role between vulnerable narcissism and prosocial behavior.(2)Grandiose narcissism,vulnerable narcissism,and conspicuous characteristics jointly affect individuals’ prosocial behavior.(3)Conspicuous characteristics play a moderating role between narcissistic admiration and prosocial behavior.(4)Prosocial behavior interacts with conspicuous characteristics and narcissistic rivalry.(5)Vulnerable narcissism has a significant direct negative predictive effect on conspicuous prosocial behavior,but it has a positive predictive effect on conspicuous prosocial behavior through the mediating effect of pathological concern.(6)The independent mediating effect of prestige and need for self-esteem between narcissistic admiration and conspicuous prosocial consumption is not significant,but the chain mediating effect of prestige and need for self-esteem between narcissistic admiration and conspicuous prosocial consumption is significant.(7)The independent mediating effect of dominance and self-esteem needs between narcissistic rivalry and conspicuous prosocial consumption is significant,while the chain mediating effect of dominance and need for self-esteem between narcissistic rivalry and conspicuous prosocial consumption is not significant.