A recent scientific interest has emerged regarding the connection between narcissism and social networking sites use (SNSs). Research highlighted a positive association between narcissistic traits and frequency of updating one’s status, uploading attractive photos and searching to attract admiring friends. The current contribution builds upon previous studies by hypothesizing that satisfying narcissistic needs through SNSs might represent a path towards a deficient self-regulation of the use of social media use which leads to negative outcomes. The results of two empirical investigations will be presented. The first study compared levels of problematic use of SNSs across overt narcissists, covert narcissists and non-narcissists. The analysis of variance showed that covert narcissists reported 1) significant higher levels of problematic use of SNSs compared to nonnarcissists and 2) a stronger preference for online social interactions and higher overall levels of problematic use of SNSs compared to overt narcissists. On the other hand, no significant differences were found between overt narcissists and non narcissists. The second study aimed to clarify the potential psychological mechanisms which might explain the association between covert narcissism and problematic use of SNSs. Following the well-established evidence on narcissists motivations, on the one hand, and the dual model of Facebook use, on the other, the need for admiration, the need for belongingness, and the need for identity experiments were supposed to mediate the association between covert narcissism and Facebook addiction. The assessed structural model produced a good fit to the data and all of the indirect effects hypothesized were significant. Variables accounted for 33% of the variance in Facebook addiction levels. Taken together, these results highlight that satisfying narcissistic needs through SNSs might represent a pathway towards a compulsive use of SNSs, especially among covert narcissists.

Satisfying needs through social networking sites: a pathway towards addiction for narcissists? / Casale, Silvia; Rugai, Laura; Fioravanti, Giulia. - In: MEDITERRANEAN JOURNAL OF CLINICAL PSYCHOLOGY. - ISSN 2282-1619. - ELETTRONICO. - (2016), pp. 102-103. (Intervento presentato al convegno XVIII Congresso Nazionale della Sezione di Psicologia Clinica e Dinamica dell'Associazione Italiana di Psicologia).

Satisfying needs through social networking sites: a pathway towards addiction for narcissists?

CASALE, SILVIA;RUGAI, LAURA;FIORAVANTI, GIULIA
2016

Abstract

A recent scientific interest has emerged regarding the connection between narcissism and social networking sites use (SNSs). Research highlighted a positive association between narcissistic traits and frequency of updating one’s status, uploading attractive photos and searching to attract admiring friends. The current contribution builds upon previous studies by hypothesizing that satisfying narcissistic needs through SNSs might represent a path towards a deficient self-regulation of the use of social media use which leads to negative outcomes. The results of two empirical investigations will be presented. The first study compared levels of problematic use of SNSs across overt narcissists, covert narcissists and non-narcissists. The analysis of variance showed that covert narcissists reported 1) significant higher levels of problematic use of SNSs compared to nonnarcissists and 2) a stronger preference for online social interactions and higher overall levels of problematic use of SNSs compared to overt narcissists. On the other hand, no significant differences were found between overt narcissists and non narcissists. The second study aimed to clarify the potential psychological mechanisms which might explain the association between covert narcissism and problematic use of SNSs. Following the well-established evidence on narcissists motivations, on the one hand, and the dual model of Facebook use, on the other, the need for admiration, the need for belongingness, and the need for identity experiments were supposed to mediate the association between covert narcissism and Facebook addiction. The assessed structural model produced a good fit to the data and all of the indirect effects hypothesized were significant. Variables accounted for 33% of the variance in Facebook addiction levels. Taken together, these results highlight that satisfying narcissistic needs through SNSs might represent a pathway towards a compulsive use of SNSs, especially among covert narcissists.
2016
Atti del XVIII Congresso Nazionale della Sezione di Psicologia Clinica e Dinamica dell'AIP, Roma 16-18 Settembre
XVIII Congresso Nazionale della Sezione di Psicologia Clinica e Dinamica dell'Associazione Italiana di Psicologia
Casale, Silvia; Rugai, Laura; Fioravanti, Giulia
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Utilizza questo identificatore per citare o creare un link a questa risorsa: https://hdl.handle.net/2158/1067193
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