The relationship between narcissism and prosocial behavior: a three-level meta-analysis

Narcissism is a well-established personality trait characterized by a tripartite structure that includes privilege/antagonism as the central feature, grandiosity/agentic extraversion, and vulnerability/neuroticism as phenotypic features. The relationship between narcissism and prosocial behavior (PsB) has been inconsistent in previous studies. To clarify the relationship between narcissism and PsB, we conducted a meta-analysis of cross-sectional and longitudinal studies that met the appropriate inclusion criteria. Given the distinct connotations and structures of the two primary types of narcissism: grandiose narcissism (GN) and vulnerable narcissism (VN), we performed separate meta-analyses for each, drawing from the relevant literature on PsB. For the analysis of VN-PsB, we included a total of 19 studies, 32 effect sizes, and a sample size of 6,536 individuals. The results indicated no significant negative correlation between PsB and VN (r = -0.08, 95% CI [-0.20, 0.05]). And the relationship between VN and PsB was moderated by methods of measuring PsB. In the analysis of GN-PsB, we included 59 studies, 198 effect sizes, and a sample size of 42,919 individuals. The results revealed a significant positive correlation between PsB and GN (r = 0.07, 95% CI [0.02, 0.12]). This positive association between GN and PsB remains robust across different ages, methods of measuring PsB, and cultural backgrounds. Furthermore, the relationship between GN and PsB was moderated by the types of GN; communal narcissism exhibited a significant positive correlation with PsB, and the strength of this correlation was notably greater than that between agentic narcissism and PsB.