What is fuelling the rise in narcissism? Are narcissists born or created?
Giving someone power can make them into a narcissist.
However, it depends on how much testosterone they naturally have in their system.
Despite being known as the ‘male hormone’, testosterone is also present in women’s bodies, although at lower levels.
When a person, male or female, has high levels of testosterone, power is more likely to corrupt them, activating narcissistic tendencies, the researchers found.
Dr Nicole Mead, the study’s first author, explained that:
“Narcissists can feel a sense of entitlement – they expect and demand respect from others as well as special privileges,”
They are willing to exploit others to get what they want.”
For the study, 206 people’s testosterone levels were tested and then they were given group activities in which they were sometimes put in positions of power.
Dr Mead explained the results:
“While power doesn’t turn everyone into a destructive tyrant, it has pernicious effects when it gets into the hands of those who want it most.
Power increased narcissism only among those with high-baseline testosterone – people who want to achieve and retain positions of power.”
The component of narcissism that was boosted by power is known as ‘exploitative-entitlement’.
In other words, power made people more ready to exploit others and to feel it is their right to do so.
Dr Nicole Mead, the study’s first author, said:
“Power is an essential component of social life.
Although the corrupting nature of power has been noted for centuries, the way it changes how people see themselves in relation to others remained an enigma.
We thought narcissistic self-views may be a missing piece of the puzzle for understanding how power corrupts.”
Dr Mead thinks much can be pinned on a sense of entitlement:
“This research is some of the first to look at factors that fuel the rise of narcissism and to pinpoint the change in self-views that can explain the corrupting influence of power.
Moreover, the work shows that the destructive effects of power were not due to narcissistic feelings of superiority but rather narcissistic feelings that one is special and should be treated accordingly.
Feelings of exploitation and entitlement may help those who crave power to retain a power gap between themselves and others.”
The study was published in the Journal of Experimental Psychology: General (Mead et al., 2018).
