The Divergent and Bidirectional Relationships Between Narcissistic Admiration and Rivalry and Prosocial Behaviors

Previous studies have identified narcissism as one of the dark triad personalities. However, contradictory findings were found regarding the relationship between grandiose narcissism and prosocial behaviors. The present research further explored their relationships and reconciled the contradictions by distinguishing between narcissistic admiration and rivalry facets, as well as investigating the bidirectional relationships between narcissism and prosocial behaviors, and the mediating effect of basic psychological needs satisfaction/frustration. This study utilized three-wave panel data of Chinese adolescents (N = 1641, 52.3% female, Wave 1 Mage = 15.26, SD = 0.52). Cross-lagged panel models revealed that admiration predicted a higher level of basic psychological needs satisfaction and prosocial behaviors, while rivalry predicted a higher level of basic psychological needs frustration and a lower level of prosocial behaviors. Prosocial behaviors, in turn, predicted higher levels of needs satisfaction and admiration, and lower levels of needs frustration and rivalry subsequentially. These effects were not observed by random-intercept cross-lagged panel model. The findings contribute to the understanding of the complexity of narcissism and its intra- and interpersonal outcomes among adolescents, providing practical implications for future studies and educational practices.