Further Evidence for the Dark-Ego-Vehicle Principle: Higher Pathological Narcissistic Grandiosity and Virtue Signaling are Related to Greater Involvement in LGBQ and Gender Identity Activism

Abstract

According to the dark-ego-vehicle principle (DEVP), individuals with so-called dark personalities (e.g., high narcissistic traits) are attracted to political and social activism that they can repurpose to satisfy their specific ego-focused needs (e.g., signaling moral superiority and manipulating others) instead of achieving prosocial goals. Currently, research on the DEVP is still rare. With two pre-registered studies, we sought further evidence for the DEVP by examining the associations of pathological narcissistic grandiosity with involvement in LGBQ activism (Study 1) and gender identity activism (Study 2). Socio-economically diverse samples from the US (Study 1; N = 446) and the UK (Study 2; N = 837) completed the Pathological Narcissism Inventory as well as measures of involvement in the two forms of activism. Moreover, we assessed different covariates (e.g., altruism), and potential correlates within the narcissism—activism relationship (i.e., virtue signaling, dominance, and aggression). In addition, we examined potential relationships between other dark personality variables (e.g., psychopathy) and activism. In both samples, higher pathological narcissistic grandiosity was related to greater involvement in the respective activism. As expected, virtue signaling was consistently involved in the relationship between pathological narcissistic grandiosity and activism; however, this was neither the case for dominance nor aggression. Also, the results did not consistently support a relationship between higher psychopathy and greater involvement in activism. Overall, the findings help to further specify the DEVP.

Keywords: activism, dark triad of personality, gender identity, LGBQ, narcissism, psychopathy