Sensation seeking as a moderator in predicting proactive and reactive aggression among narcissistic Greek-Cypriot adolescents with narcissistic traits

Frangou, G. (Georgia)¹, Petridou, M. (Maria)¹, Fanti, K. (Kostas)^1
1University of Cyprus

 

Submission type

Poster only

Scheduled

Hallway, 10-07-2019, 15:30 - 17:00

Keywords

sensation seeking, proactive aggression, reactive aggression, narcissism

Summary

Studies regarding narcissism and aggression have revealed contradicting results as some of them suggested an association with only proactive aggression and others with both proactive and reactive aggression. Only a few studies investigated the relationship of narcissism with sensation seeking and their results indicate a positive association between them. This study aims to investigate whether sensation seeking moderates the association between narcissism and aggression in an effort to explain prior contradicting findings. Gender and interactive effects of both traits are also taken into consideration in an attempt to elaborate the results. 

The sample in this study consists of 2306 Cypriot high school students from Cyprus. Narcissism, aggression and sensation seeking were evaluated.

A multiple hierarchical regression was applied to predict proactive and reactive aggression based on gender, narcissism, and sensation seeking tendencies. The results showed that narcissism and sensation seeking were positively associated with both types of aggression. Moreover, an interaction effect of both traits was revealed only for boys in predicting proactive but not reactive aggression.  

 

Results can act as a great pool of information regarding the type of appropriate interventions for adolescents with narcissistic and sensation seeking traits which can be applied for classroom management. Hopefully, this study will explain the previous mixed results about the association of narcissism with both proactive and reactive aggression.

Auteurs