Personal control decreases narcissistic but increases non-narcissistic in-group positivity

Abstract

Objective: We examined the effects of control motivation on in-group positivity. Past research suggests that people compensate for low personal control by increasing support for social in-groups. We predicted that the effect of personal control on in-group positivity would depend on the type of in-group positivity. Low personal control should increase compensatory, narcissistic in-group positivity, whereas high personal control should increase secure, non-narcissistic in-group positivity. Method: These hypotheses were tested in a cross-sectional survey (Study 1 N = 1,083, 54% female, M age = 47.68), two experiments (Study 2 N = 105, 50% female, M age = 32.05; Study 3 N = 154, 40% female, M age = 29.93), and a longitudinal survey (Study 4 N = 398, 51% female, M age = 32.05). Results: In all studies, personal control was negatively associated with narcissistic in-group positivity but positively associated with non-narcissistic in-group positivity. The longitudinal survey additionally showed that the positive relationship between personal control and non-narcissistic in-group positivity was reciprocal. Moreover, both types of in-group positivity differentially mediated between personal control and out-group attitudes: Narcissistic in-group positivity predicted negative attitudes, and non-narcissistic positivity predicted positive attitudes. Conclusions: These findings highlight the role of individual motivation in fostering different types of in-group positivity and intergroup outcomes.