Narcissism and Empathy: The Modulating Role of Perspective-Taking and Emotion Regulation
Creators: name: URBONAVICIUTE, GRETA
Publisher: name: University of Surrey
Year: 2021

description: Low empathy in narcissism has long been observed in clinical practise. Many empirical studies examining this association have, however, produced mixed findings. To date, little is known about the specific nature of this association and whether low empathy in narcissism can be increased. The main aims of the present thesis were therefore to examine the association between narcissism and empathy with a focus on what mediates and moderates the association between narcissism and two empathic responses, namely empathic concern and personal distress, and to assess whether perspective-taking (PT) instructions are effective in increasing empathy related responses in narcissistic individuals. These aims were addressed in a meta-analysis and three empirical studies. The meta-analysis (Study 1) examined the association between grandiose and vulnerable narcissism and affective and cognitive empathy (AE and CE). Overall, the results showed that both grandiose and vulnerable narcissism were associated with lower AE and CE, but that this association depended on conceptual and methodological factors. Study 2 used a cross-sectional design to examine whether AE and self- and other-PT mediated the associations between grandiose and vulnerable narcissism and two outcomes: empathic concern and personal distress. The moderating role of two emotion regulation strategies (i.e., cognitive reappraisal and expressive suppression) were also examined. The results showed that lower AE, but not PT mediated the negative association between grandiose narcissism and empathic concern, as well as personal distress, and these associations were strengthened by reappraisal. Study 3 used an experimental multi-method design to examine whether instructions to self- and other-PT affected empathic responses (self-reported and physiological) in grandiose narcissism. The results showed that contrary to assumptions, grandiose narcissism was positively associated with self-reported empathy and was unrelated to autonomic arousal, deeming PT instructions unnecessary. The final study (Study 4) used an experimental design to re-test the effectiveness of self- and other-PT instructions using a different empathy stimuli. The results showed that other-PT instructions were effective in ameliorating the negative associations between grandiose narcissism and self-reported empathy responses. The moderating role of reappraisal was also examined, replicating the effects found in Study 2. Taking all the studies together, the findings from this thesis suggested that in narcissistic individuals, low empathic concern for others’ distress and reduced personal distress from watching others in distress was mainly driven by lower ability to feel what others feel, and not from inability to take others’ perspectives. These effects were most pronounced among those narcissistic individuals who reported higher levels of reappraisal and good overall emotion regulation. The results also suggested that these empathy deficits are not fixed and could be ameliorated by instructing narcissistic individuals to take others’ perspectives. The overall conclusion, therefore, is that empathy deficits in grandiose narcissism are primarily based in affective domains and are susceptible to change.