Does Dispositional Aggression Feed the Narcissistic Response? The Role of Narcissism and Aggression in the Prediction of Job Attitudes and Counterproductive Work Behaviors

Purpose

The purpose of this study was to extend the personality and work-related outcomes literature by examining: (1) the effects of narcissism on job satisfaction, organizational commitment, and counterproductive work behaviors and (2) the moderating effects of dispositional aggression on the narcissism–counterproductive work behaviors relationship.

Design/Methodology/Approach

Multi-wave data were collected from 381 workers employed in a variety of work settings within the United States.

Findings

Narcissism had consistent main effects on job satisfaction, organizational commitment, and counterproductive work behaviors after controlling for the personality characteristics agreeableness, conscientiousness, neuroticism, and aggression. Aggression moderated the relationship between narcissism and counterproductive work behaviors, such that the positive relationship between narcissism and counterproductive work behaviors was stronger when dispositional aggression was high.

Implications

This study provides greater clarity regarding the role of narcissism within job attitudes and behaviors, shows that dispositional aggression strengthens or amplifies the narcissistic response for counterproductive work behaviors, and provides a platform to further explore narcissism and aggression within the workplace.

Originality/Value

This study found that narcissism consistently predicted unique variance in work-related criteria after the effects of agreeableness, conscientiousness, neuroticism, and aggression were controlled. It also found evidence that aggression moderates the effects of narcissism on counterproductive work behaviors. This study is the first to directly examine these effects.     

The Relationship Between the Repression-Sensitization Scale and the Incomplete Sentences Blank

Prior research with the Repression-Sensitization (R-S(scale has isolated certain differential behavior patterns in Ss scoring at the extremes of the scale. Thus Byrne's formulation of the R-S scale hypothesized a curvilinear relationship between the R-S scale and psychological adjustment. However, other research suggests that the relationship may be linear. Using Rotter's Incomplete Sentence Blank, College Form (ISB), it was hypothesized that there would be a linear relationship between the R-S scale and ISB. 204 college students took both the R-S and ISB. No significant sex differences were obtained. While the correlation between the R-S scale and ISB was significant (r = 59, p < .01), the results did not prove linearity, but there is insufficient evidence to support any other kind of relationship.     

Atheism is only skin deep: Geertz and Markusson rely mistakenly on sociodemographic data as meaningful indicators of underlying cognition

Cognitive scientists of religion and evolutionary theorists alike have been increasingly arguing in recent years that religion is “natural” in the sense of being motivated by core, evolved psychological intuitions. Atheism, and irreligion more generally, appear to pose problems for the naturalness hypothesis, especially considering the significant proportion of people in contemporary societies who reject supernatural beliefs. Although Geertz and Markusson clarify why the naturalness hypothesis does not imply religious determinism, they fail to weigh adequately the more conservative prediction, that of religious probabilism. Furthermore, unlike cognitive scientific accounts favoring the naturalness hypothesis, the authors base their arguments for the cultural scaffolding of atheistic cognition on sociodemographic data aloneda—source that is unlikely to be a meaningful reflection of “natural” underlying cognitive processes     

Driving toward a goal and the goal‐gradient hypothesis: the impact of goal proximity on compliance rate,donation size,and fatigue

Driving toward a goal (DTAG) is a compliance technique derived from observed persuasion practice (e.g., telethons) wherein the persuader utilizes a goal pitch (e.g., “Help us raise $500”) and progress toward a goal (e.g., a tote board) to encourage compliance. It was postulated that DTAG would be more effective than legitimizing a paltry contribution (LPC) at increasing compliance rate, size, and stability. In Study 1, a fundraising field experiment (N = 840 donations) found that LPC garnered significantly more donations and DTAG garnered significantly larger donations. In Study 2, a lab experiment (N = 992 participants) found that LPC garnered more donations at Time 1, DTAG garnered more donations over time (eventually matching LPC), and LPC yielded smaller donations over time.     

Test-Taking Behaviors by Hypertensive and Normotensive Individuals

Systematic ratings were made on the Tulane Test-Behavior Scale of the global and integrated behaviors observable for hypertensive and normotensive subjects as they worked to complete a battery of neuropsychological tests—the degree of attention and effort displayed, for example, self-confidence and self-criticism. The results for 82 subjects (41 subject pairs matched for age, race, and education) revealed substantial and consistent differences between groups. Early, mild hypertensive subjects (unmedicated) displayed significantly less optimal behaviors than did normotensive controls. These may be best understood as subtle functional consequences of the abnormal physiological state imposed on the brain by a chronically elevated blood pressure, just as the functional disruptions of reduced kidney filtration fraction or minor abnormalities of the electrocardiogram appear early in the course of the disorder for other target organs. Certain testable implications of this hypothesis are discussed.