Reducing the chances of developing narcissistic rivalry: The buffering effects of integrity

The NARC model postulates that grandiose narcissism manifests in two trait-based forms: narcissistic admiration (i.e., agentic features) and narcissistic rivalry (i.e., antagonistic features). Theoretically, narcissistic admiration transitions into narcissistic rivalry to the extent the person is willing to pursue antagonistic (immoral) strategies in the face of ego threat. Given that integrity (i.e., the steadfast adherence to a strict moral code) should reduce this willingness, we proposed that integrity should moderate the narcissistic admiration-rivalry relationship. Participants (N = 309) completed questionnaires assessing narcissistic admiration and rivalry, integrity, and selfcontrol (due to its confounding with integrity). As expected, we found that high integrity weakened the narcissistic admiration-rivalry relationship, and this effect of integrity was not attributable to self-control. Broadly, the data suggest how the structural dimensions of narcissism share conditional relations and how integrity can play a moderating (buffering) role on antagonistic processes in narcissism.