Research Feed

In this experiment, 1,904 U.S. adults imagined being pulled over by an officer who behaved in one of five ways, from fully respectful to openly rude. Higher vulnerable narcissism (shame-prone, sensitive to criticism) went with less favorable reactions, including satisfaction, seeing the officer as legitimate, and willingness to obey, unless the officer was rude. Higher grandiose narcissism (entitled, self-important) went with more favorable reactions when the officer was respectful or gave no ticket. A rude officer drew uniformly negative reactions.

This research clarifies that altruism and antisocial behavior are independent dimensions rather than opposite ends of one spectrum. Altruism is primarily shaped by familial environments and positive emotionality, while antisocial behavior stems from genetics and negative emotionality combined with low constraint. Because these tendencies arise from distinct etiologies, they can coexist within an individual, functioning as uncorrelated personality expressions rather than mutually exclusive traits.