Effects of workers’ perceptions of threatened egotism on coping strategies in various types of narcissism

Abstract

The objective of this study is to clarify the factors affecting workers’ perceptions of threatened egotism, and the relationships between such perceptions and coping strategies in various types of narcissism. In analysis 1, several models based on the threatened egotism model were used to examine the factors affecting workers’ perceptions of threatened egotism, and the relationships between such perceptions and coping strategies. Then, these models were verified via covariance structure analysis using data gathered in Japan. As a result, it was found that models including relative self-evaluation and/or self-concept clarity exhibited lower goodness of fit than a model including none of them, and the model in which threatened egotism affected anthrophobic tendency and organizational dysfunctional behavior was adopted. Next, in analysis 2 the model was used to examine the relationships between threatened egotism and coping strategies in three types of narcissism (the self-assertion type, need for attention and praise type, and sense of superiority and competence type) via multiple group covariance structure analysis. The results showed that threatened egotism positively affected anthrophobic tendency in all types of narcissism and organizational dysfunctional behavior in the self-assertion type.