The anxious addictive narcissist: The relationship between grandiose and vulnerable narcissism, anxiety symptoms and Facebook Addiction

Vulnerable narcissism and grandiose narcissism share the core of the narcissistic self but are considered as separate forms of this personality trait. While previous research mainly focused on the mechanisms that connect grandiose narcissism and addictive use of the social platform Facebook, it rema...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:PloS one 2020-11, Vol.15 (11), p.e0241632-e0241632
Main Authors: Brailovskaia, Julia, Rohmann, Elke, Bierhoff, Hans-Werner, Margraf, Jürgen
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Addictions
Addictive behaviors
Adolescent
Adult
Anxiety
Anxiety - epidemiology
Anxiety - psychology
Biology and Life Sciences
Clinical psychology
Complications and side effects
Computer and Information Sciences
Feedback
Female
Health aspects
Health risks
Humans
Internet addiction
Internet Addiction Disorder - epidemiology
Internet Addiction Disorder - psychology
Male
Medical research
Medicine and Health Sciences
Mental disorders
Mental health
Middle Aged
Narcissism
Observations
Online social networks
Personality traits
Psychological aspects
Psychotherapy
Risk
Risk factors
Self esteem
Social Media
Social networks
Social psychology
Social research
Social Sciences
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Summary:Vulnerable narcissism and grandiose narcissism share the core of the narcissistic self but are considered as separate forms of this personality trait. While previous research mainly focused on the mechanisms that connect grandiose narcissism and addictive use of the social platform Facebook, it remained unclear why individuals with enhanced levels of vulnerable narcissism are at risk to develop Facebook Addiction (FA). The present study investigated the links between vulnerable and grandiose narcissism, anxiety symptoms, and FA. In a sample of 327 Facebook users (age: M(SD) = 23.67(3.96), range: 18-56), both forms of narcissism were positively related to anxiety symptoms and FA. Moreover, the association between both forms of narcissism and FA was partly mediated by anxiety symptoms. Results enter new territory by revealing hidden similarities between vulnerable and grandiose narcissists, emphasizing that similar mechanisms might explain their enhanced risk to develop addictive tendencies of Facebook use. These findings should be considered when assessing individuals at risk for FA and when developing (therapeutic) intervention programs to deal with problematic use of social platforms.
ISSN:1932-6203
1932-6203
DOI:10.1371/journal.pone.0241632