New Delhi- A narcissist is more likely to be perceived as being excluded in a social situation, compared to those less self-absorbed, and the feeling can further intensify the personality trait, a study has found.
Researchers, led by those from the University of Basel in Switzerland, said the perception of feeling excluded could stem not only because of one’s narcissistic tendencies — excess focus on oneself and own needs — but also from a tendency to misinterpret ambiguous social signals as exclusion.
“Feeling ostracised is a subjective experience based on the perception of social cues by the individual. Some may be intentionally ostracised, while others may merely believe they are being excluded when that’s not the case,” lead author Christiane Buttner from the University of Basel,said.
The study, published in the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, performed multiple analyses of data collected from questionnaires and observations of participants while engaging in group activities.
In one of the analyses, the researchers looked at 2,500 participants in a virtual ball-tossing game,where two other players either included or excluded them. Another experiment presented hypothetical social scenarios and asked participants to assess how excluded they felt.
The results showed that narcissistic individuals were more likely to perceive ambiguous social interactions — where ostracism is not explicitly clear — as exclusionary.
“Our findings suggest that individuals with higher levels of narcissism are more sensitive to exclusion cues, leading them to perceive ostracism more frequently,” Buttner said.
However, the team performed additional experiments and found that people often prefer to avoid highly narcissistic individuals.
The result provided evidence that the relationship between narcissism and social exclusion is possibly two-way.
“Narcissism may contribute to social exclusion, but ostracism itself can also fuel the development of narcissistic traits,” Buttner explained.
“Our findings demonstrate how negative perceptions, target behaviour, and reverse causality together determine who gets ostracised, from the perspective of those who get ostracised and those who decide to ostracise,” the authors wrote.
The ndings, highlighting the complex interplay between personality traits and social experiences, can help better understand and address workplace conicts, social isolation and broader societal issues, according to Buttner.
“Interventions aimed at improving interpersonal relationships and reducing social friction should consider both the perceptions and behaviours of the individuals involved,” she said.
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