EXPLORING THE ASSOCIATION BETWEEN NARCISSISTIC PERSONALITY DISORDER AND SOCIAL MEDIA USE
Abstract
Introduction/Aim: Narcissistic personality disorder has become more and more noticeable in modern times. For an increasing number of people, their ego has become a springboard in society or an obstacle to their progress. The question is whether and to what extent narcissistic personality disorder is related to the use of social media networks. For young and older people alike, social media networks have become a part of everyday life. Social media networks are used in an attempt to show a reflection of everyday life that often represents a non-existent illusion. Therefore, social media networks present a false image, a fake splendor, in an attempt to show what is not there, so as to impress other people and induce them to think that the author of the content is somehow better or more important, i.e., more successful than them. This study attempts to link narcissistic personality disorder and the use of social media networks, in order to determine whether these two variables are related.
Materials and methods: The basic research methods applied in this study are the method of analysis and synthesis, the method of induction and deduction, and the statistical and comparative methods. A total of 58 university students participated in the data collection process. The Narcissistic Personality Inventory and the Statements of Social Networking Usage Questionnaire (i.e., an inventory of social media presence and its purpose – academic, socialization, entertainment, information, compulsive use) were used in the study. Questions of a general nature (for collecting socio-demographic data) were also included. The study was conducted in Slovenia and Bosnia and Herzegovina, from January to June 2024.
Results: A very low degree of correlation was found between narcissism and the academic purpose of using social media networks (0.20). A moderately strong correlation was found between narcissism and socialization as the purpose of using social media networks (0.663). A very weak correlation was found between narcissism and the informative purpose of using social media networks, more precisely, the correlation coefficient was 0.280. Finally, a high level of correlation was found between narcissism and entertainment as the purpose of using social media networks – the degree of correlation between these two variables was 88.8%.
Conclusion: The research results indicate the existence of a significant relationship between narcissistic personality disorder and presence on social media networks.
References
Yakeley J. Current understanding of narcissism and narcissistic personality disorder. BJPsych Advances. 2018 Sep;24(5):305-15. doi:10.1192/bja.2018.20.
Stranieri G, De Stefano L, Greco AG. Pathological Narcissism. Psychiatr Danub. 2021 Sep;33(Suppl 9):35-40. Available from: https://www.psychiatria-danubina.com/UserDocsImages/pdf/dnb_vol33_noSuppl%209/dnb_vol33_noSuppl%209_35.pdf
Ronningstam E. Narcissistic personality disorder: a current review. Curr Psychiatry Rep. 2010 Feb;12(1):68-75. doi: 10.1007/s11920-009-0084-z.
Campbell WK, Baumeister RF. Narcissistic personality disorder. In: Fisher JE, O’Donohue WT, editors. Practitioner’s guide to evidence-based psychotherapy. New York: Springer; 2006. p. 423-31. doi: 10.1007/978-0-387-28370-8_42.
Caligor E, Levy KN, Yeomans FE. Narcissistic personality disorder: diagnostic and clinical challenges. Am J Psychiatry. 2015 May;172(5):415-22. doi: 10.1176/appi.ajp.2014.14060723.
Edershile EA, Wright AGC. Grandiose and vulnerable narcissistic states in interpersonal situations. Self Identity. 2021;20(2):165-81. doi: 10.1080/15298868.2019.1627241.
Long P. Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders, Third edition (DSM-III). 1980:2.
Savci M, Turan M, Griffiths MD, Ercengiz M. Histrionic personality, narcissistic personality, and problematic social media use: testing of a new hypothetical model. Int. J. Ment. Health Addict. 2021 Aug;19:986-1004. doi: 10.1007/s11469-019-00139-5.
Somerville TA. The effect of social media use on narcissistic behavior. McKendree University Online Journal of Undergraduate Research [Internet]. 2015 [cited 2024 Oct 29]. 25. Available from: https://www.mckendree.edu/academics/scholars/somerville-issue-25.pdf
Gnambs T, Appel M. Narcissism and social networking behavior: a meta-analysis. J Pers. 2018 Apr;86(2):200-12. doi: 10.1111/jopy.12305.
Akkoz M, Erbaş O. The relationship between social media use and narcissism. D J Tx Sci 2020;5(1-2):32-8. doi: 10.5606/dsufnjt.2020.014.
Leung L, Zhang R. Narcissism and social media use by children and adolescents. In Young KS, de Abreu CN, editors. Internet addiction in children and adolescents: Risk factors, assessment, and treatment. New York: Springer; 2017. p. 47-64. doi: 10.1891/9780826133731.0003.
Gupta S, Bashir L. Social networking usage questionnaire: development and validation in an Indian higher education context. Turk. online j. distance educ. 2018 Oct 1;19(4):214-27. doi: 10.17718/tojde.471918.
Casale S, Banchi V. Narcissism and problematic social media use: a systematic literature review. Addict Behav Rep. 2020 Jan 28;11:100252. doi: 10.1016/j.abrep.2020.100252.
McCain J, Campbell K. Narcissism and Social Media Use: A Meta-Analytic Review. Psychol. Pop. Media Cult. 2018;7(3):308-27. doi:10.1037/ppm0000137.
Umber S, Ali M, Latif MA. Exploring the relationship between digital narcissism, subjective wellbeing, and social media usage: a case study on GCUF students on Facebook and Instagram. Remit Rev. 2023 Jan;9(1):812-36. doi:10.33182/rr.vx9il.24.
Freglette C. Predicting narcissism through social media. Caravel Undergraduate Research Journal [Internet]. 2021 [Cited: Oct. 29, 2024.]. Available from: https://sc.edu/about/offices_and_divisions/research/news_and_pubs/caravel/archive/2021_spring/2021_narcissism.php
Goel M, Mishra R, Kanwar C. Analysing the relation between social media usage and narcissism among young adults: Indian setting. Int. j. Indian psychol. 2023;11(2):2514-20. doi: 10.25215/1102.248.
Paramboukis O, Skues J, Wise L. An exploratory study of the relationships between narcissism, self-esteem and Instagram use. Social Networking. 2016 Apr;5(2):82-92. doi:10.4236/sn.2016.52009.
Köse SS, Erbaş O. Personality disorders diagnosis, causes, and treatments. D J Tx Sci. 2020;5(1-2):22-31. doi: 10.5606/dsufnjt.2020.013.
