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Narcissism, adjustment, and target-specific aggression in preadolescence

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Date Issued:
2013
Summary:
This study examined the consequences of self-image failure among narcissistic children. It was hypothesized that narcissistic children who perceive themselves as falling short of their hoped-for grandiose self (e.g., whose self-esteem is low) would not only increase over time in general aggression and decrease prosocial behavior, but also increase in the tendency to direct aggression specifically toward more socially successful peers (i.e., their putative rivals for social status). Participants were 195 (101 boys) fourth through seventh-graders who were tested in both the fall and the spring of a school year. Results yielded some support for the hypotheses. Narcissism combined with low self-appraisals of the real self to predict decreases in prosocial behavior and increased aggression toward popular and attractive peers. These findings not only provide longitudinal evidence for the self-image failure hypothesis but also underscore the importance of a target-specific approach to investigating children's aggression.
Title: Narcissism, adjustment, and target-specific aggression in preadolescence: a test of the self-image failure hypothesis.
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Name(s): Pauletti, Rachel E.
Charles E. Schmidt College of Science
Department of Psychology
Type of Resource: text
Genre: Electronic Thesis Or Dissertation
Date Issued: 2013
Publisher: Florida Atlantic University
Physical Form: electronic
Extent: vii, 60 p. : ill.
Language(s): English
Summary: This study examined the consequences of self-image failure among narcissistic children. It was hypothesized that narcissistic children who perceive themselves as falling short of their hoped-for grandiose self (e.g., whose self-esteem is low) would not only increase over time in general aggression and decrease prosocial behavior, but also increase in the tendency to direct aggression specifically toward more socially successful peers (i.e., their putative rivals for social status). Participants were 195 (101 boys) fourth through seventh-graders who were tested in both the fall and the spring of a school year. Results yielded some support for the hypotheses. Narcissism combined with low self-appraisals of the real self to predict decreases in prosocial behavior and increased aggression toward popular and attractive peers. These findings not only provide longitudinal evidence for the self-image failure hypothesis but also underscore the importance of a target-specific approach to investigating children's aggression.
Identifier: 863701703 (oclc), 3362564 (digitool), FADT3362564 (IID), fau:4211 (fedora)
Note(s): by Rachel E. Pauletti.
Thesis (Ph.D.)--Florida Atlantic University, 2013.
Includes bibliography.
Mode of access: World Wide Web.
System requirements: Adobe Reader.
Subject(s): Adjustment (Psychology) in children
Interpersonal relations in children
Narcissism
Aggressiveness
Identity (Psychology) in adolescence
Self-esteem in adolescence
Social interaction in adolescence
Persistent Link to This Record: http://purl.flvc.org/fcla/dt/3362564
Use and Reproduction: http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/
Host Institution: FAU