Adolescent narcissism brings brief popularity but not likeability among peers, study finds

Teenagers who exhibit narcissistic traits might gain a brief boost in social status, but that dominance does not translate into actually being liked by their peers. While projecting confidence can help adolescents climb the social ladder initially, behaviors like boastfulness predict a decline in popularity over time. These findings were recently published in the Journal of Social and Personal Relationships.

Adolescence is a period defined by shifting social dynamics and a heightened focus on peer relationships. During this time, personality tendencies like egocentrism and narcissism often emerge as teenagers navigate identity formation and separate themselves from their parents. Because these traits are relatively common in youth, they might offer certain social benefits, such as projecting the self-assurance needed to establish independence.

Psychologists categorize narcissism into two main dimensions, known as grandiose and vulnerable narcissism. Grandiose narcissism is characterized by an exaggerated sense of self-importance, a feeling of entitlement, and a tendency to seek admiration through assertiveness or aggression. Vulnerable narcissism involves a more fragile sense of self-worth that depends heavily on social feedback, often leading to hypersensitivity and defensiveness.

Theoretical models suggest that narcissistic individuals use different strategies to navigate social situations. Grandiose narcissism is often linked to overt, status-seeking behaviors like extraversion and social charm. In contrast, vulnerable narcissism is associated with more covert attempts to gain inclusion, which can sometimes manifest as social withdrawal or interpersonal coldness.

In adolescent social circles, there is often a separation between being well-liked and being popular. A teenager might be widely recognized as popular due to their visibility or dominance, even if they are not personally liked by most of their classmates. Christopher Barry, a psychology researcher at Washington State University, led a team to investigate how grandiose and vulnerable narcissism influence these two distinct forms of social status.

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The researchers recruited 252 adolescents, aged 15 to 18, who were attending a 22-week residential program for at-risk youth. The participants lived together, attended classes together, and followed a highly structured daily routine. Because the youth entered the program at the same time and were initially unfamiliar with one another, the setting provided a controlled environment to observe how social hierarchies form and evolve.

The residential program incorporated a quasi-military structure, meaning the adolescents wore uniforms, marched in lines, and followed specific behavioral codes. Within this system, the youth were divided into smaller living groups. The peer nomination data were standardized within these specific groups to account for varying group sizes and internal dynamics.

The research team collected data at two distinct points during the program. The first assessment occurred about seven weeks after the youth arrived, giving them time to establish initial impressions of one another. The second assessment took place 15 weeks later, near the end of the program, to capture how these relationships changed over time.

During the assessments, participants completed psychological questionnaires designed to measure their own levels of grandiose and vulnerable narcissism. They also participated in a peer nomination activity. Each adolescent was asked to nominate up to three peers in their living group who fit specific descriptions, such as being popular, well-liked, disliked, confident, boastful, or dominant.

The researchers found that self-reported grandiose narcissism was associated with peer-nominated popularity at the first time point. Adolescents who viewed themselves as highly self-important were initially recognized by their peers as holding high social status. However, this association disappeared by the second assessment near the end of the program.

While grandiose narcissism provided a temporary popularity boost, it did not help adolescents make actual friends. Self-reported grandiose narcissism was not correlated with being well-liked by peers at either the beginning or the end of the study. Similarly, vulnerable narcissism showed almost no relation to social status, aside from a weak association with being disliked during the initial weeks.

The peer nominations provided additional context regarding how specific behaviors influence social standing. When peers rated an adolescent as highly confident or dominant, that individual was generally viewed as popular at both the early and late stages of the program. Displaying dominance also occasionally correlated with being well-liked, suggesting that some group norms might reward assertive behavior.

Boastfulness, however, yielded a different social trajectory. Adolescents who were frequently nominated by their peers as being boastful at the beginning of the program were often viewed as popular at that time. Yet, a follow-up analysis revealed that early bragging predicted a distinct drop in peer-reported popularity by the end of the residential cycle.

The study took place in a quasi-military residential program for at-risk youth, which involves strict routines and specific behavioral expectations. This highly structured environment might foster social norms that reward dominance or confidence differently than a traditional high school setting. As a result, the social dynamics observed here might not perfectly mirror those of a broader community population.

Future investigations will need to explore a wider range of observable narcissistic behaviors, such as manipulation or attention-seeking, to see how they impact long-term friendships. Researchers might also benefit from using larger, unrestricted peer nomination methods, allowing students to rate all of their classmates rather than just a select few. Expanding this research could help educators guide teenagers to project confidence without alienating their peers.

The study, “How Does Narcissism Relate to Popularity and Likeability in an Adolescent Residential Setting?,” was authored by Christopher Barry, Alex C. Yoshizumi, Hyunah Kim, and Paige Yedinak.