More than a preference for online social interaction: Vulnerable narcissism and phubbing
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Author(s)
Grieve, R
Lang, CP
March, E
Griffith University Author(s)
Year published
2021
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This study was the first to examine whether the relationship between vulnerable narcissism and phubbing (phone snubbing) can be explained by preference for online social interaction. Participants (N = 402) completed measures of narcissistic vulnerability, phubbing, and preference for online social interaction, along with measures of grandiose narcissism, psychopathy, Machiavellianism, and social anxiety, which were included as covariates in a mediation analysis. As hypothesised, preference for online social interaction mediated the vulnerable narcissism—phubbing relationship, however this effect was only partial, with ...
View more >This study was the first to examine whether the relationship between vulnerable narcissism and phubbing (phone snubbing) can be explained by preference for online social interaction. Participants (N = 402) completed measures of narcissistic vulnerability, phubbing, and preference for online social interaction, along with measures of grandiose narcissism, psychopathy, Machiavellianism, and social anxiety, which were included as covariates in a mediation analysis. As hypothesised, preference for online social interaction mediated the vulnerable narcissism—phubbing relationship, however this effect was only partial, with narcissistic vulnerability still having a significant and positive direct effect on phubbing. These results indicate that phubbing may allow individuals with vulnerable narcissism to meet contingent self-esteem needs—i.e., needs which are more readily managed through the asynchronous and more controllable online environment—but that other aspects of narcissistic vulnerability also drive phubbing behaviours.
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View more >This study was the first to examine whether the relationship between vulnerable narcissism and phubbing (phone snubbing) can be explained by preference for online social interaction. Participants (N = 402) completed measures of narcissistic vulnerability, phubbing, and preference for online social interaction, along with measures of grandiose narcissism, psychopathy, Machiavellianism, and social anxiety, which were included as covariates in a mediation analysis. As hypothesised, preference for online social interaction mediated the vulnerable narcissism—phubbing relationship, however this effect was only partial, with narcissistic vulnerability still having a significant and positive direct effect on phubbing. These results indicate that phubbing may allow individuals with vulnerable narcissism to meet contingent self-esteem needs—i.e., needs which are more readily managed through the asynchronous and more controllable online environment—but that other aspects of narcissistic vulnerability also drive phubbing behaviours.
View less >
Journal Title
Personality and Individual Differences
Volume
175
Copyright Statement
© 2021 Elsevier. Licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International Licence, which permits unrestricted, non-commercial use, distribution and reproduction in any medium, providing that the work is properly cited.
Subject
Psychology
Cognitive and computational psychology
Biological psychology
Social and personality psychology