The Moderating Role of Narcissism on the Reciprocal Relationship Between Self-Efficacy and Performance

We examined the possible moderating role of narcissism-a personality variable associated with overconfidence-upon the reciprocal relationship between self-efficacy and performance. Participants (N = 87) completed ten experimental trials on a driving simulator where performance and self-efficacy beliefs were recorded across trials. Hierarchical linear modeling demonstrated that previous performance had a positive relationship with subsequent self-efficacy (supporting much of self-efficacy research). However, narcissism moderated this relationship in that when narcissism was high, performance had no relationship with subsequent self-efficacy. Conversely, self-efficacy had a significant negative relationship with subsequent performance. However, narcissism had no moderating effect upon this relationship. A secondary purpose of the study was to examine the potential moderating role narcissism played in the relationship between self-efficacy and effort, and between effort and performance. Narcissism moderated the relationship between self-efficacy and self-reported effort and between self-reported effort and performance. Further, the moderating role of narcissism was non-significant for a psychophysiological measure of effort.