Making the Personal Political: the Role of Narcissism in Political Attitudes and Behaviours
In order to make informed political decisions, it is important to understand the psychological factors that influence political convictions and behaviours. Given the prevalence of narcissistic tendencies among political leaders, it is key to examine the role of narcissistic beliefs about oneself and one's social groups play in politics. This seminar will review survey and experimental research demonstrating that individual and collective narcissism can pose challenges to democratic functioning, social cohesion, as well as harmonious international relations. It will also present new studies which rely on large language models to identify narcissistic identity rhetoric in text and examine whether such rhetoric resonates with the public and predicts electoral outcomes. Finally, the implications for understanding political leadership, social movements, and policy support will also be discussed.