What drives us to go green: the roles of narcissism, virtue signaling and social exclusion

Shaikh, S. and Nicholas, A. (2025) What drives us to go green: the roles of narcissism, virtue signaling and social exclusion. Personality and Individual Differences, 247. 113392. ISSN 1873-3549 doi: 10.1016/j.paid.2025.113392

Abstract/Summary

Understanding individual differences in pro-environmental values is crucial amid climate change. This study explores how grandiose and vulnerable narcissism relate to such values, using survey data from 609 British participants. Our findings reveal that grandiose narcissism is positively associated with pro-environmental values and virtue signaling mediates this relationship. This suggests that individuals high in grandiose narcissism may adopt pro-environmental values primarily to enhance their self-image. Conversely, although vulnerable narcissism shows a negative direct relationship with pro-environmental values, vulnerable narcissists also engage in virtue signaling, which positively influences their adoption of pro-environmental values. This indicates that their motivation may stem from a need to protect their fragile self-esteem. Additionally, while grandiose narcissism and vulnerable narcissism differ in how they relate to social exclusion, social exclusion does not significantly predict pro-environmental values. This implies that the emotional consequences of exclusion may not support the internalization of pro-environmental values. By highlighting the distinct motivational pathways of grandiose and vulnerable narcissism, this study deepens understanding of how self-focused traits influence environmental value adoption.

Item Type	Article
URI	https://centaur.reading.ac.uk/id/eprint/123905
Identification Number/DOI	10.1016/j.paid.2025.113392
Refereed	Yes
Divisions	Henley Business School > Digitalisation, Marketing and Entrepreneurship
Publisher	Elsevier
Download/View statistics	View download statistics for this item