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Finding Meaning in the Mirror: The Existential Pursuits of Narcissists

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The Experience of Meaning in Life

Abstract

Narcissism refers to a self-centered, self-aggrandizing, dominant, entitled, and manipulative orientation. Narcissists are high on agency (i.e., have inflated perceptions of themselves) and low on communion (i.e., have deflated perceptions of others). This chapter proposes that narcissists rely on agency to seek, attain, and sustain meaning in life. Narcissists may derive meaning from at least three agentic domains: achievement, materialism, and reflections of glory. Narcissists pursue achievements, conspicuous consumption, and glory reflection, because these pursuits inject their self-system with positivity by making them feel successful, special, and mighty. Alternatively, they may do so in an effort to compensate for inner fragility.

The preparation of this chapter was supported by The Leverhulme Trust grant F/00 180/AM.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Center for Research on Self and Identity, School of Psychology, University of Southampton, Southampton, SO17 1BJ, England, UK

    Constantine Sedikides, Claire M. Hart & Sylwia Z. Cisek

  2. Department of Psychology, North Dakota State University, Fargo, ND, USA

    Clay Routledge

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  1. Constantine Sedikides
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  2. Claire M. Hart
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  3. Sylwia Z. Cisek
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  4. Clay Routledge
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Correspondence to Constantine Sedikides .

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  1. , Dept. of Psychology, Texas A&M University, TAMU 4235, College Station, 77843, Texas, USA

    Joshua A. Hicks

  2. , Dept of Psychology, North Dakota State University, Minard Hall, Fargo, 58105, North Dakota, USA

    Clay Routledge

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Sedikides, C., Hart, C.M., Cisek, S.Z., Routledge, C. (2013). Finding Meaning in the Mirror: The Existential Pursuits of Narcissists. In: Hicks, J., Routledge, C. (eds) The Experience of Meaning in Life. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-007-6527-6_15

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