Narcissists Tend to Become Leaders

[Sniffles]

They actually needed a study to prove this?

Narcissists Tend to Become Leaders
LiveScience Staff

LiveScience.com livescience Staff

livescience.com
Tue Oct 7, 4:56 pm ET

Narcissists like to be in charge, so it stands to reason that a new study shows individuals who are overconfident about their abilities are most likely to step in as leaders, be they politicians or power brokers.


However, their initiative doesn't mean they are the best leaders. The study also found narcissists don't outperform others in leadership roles.


Narcissists tend to be egotistical types who exaggerate their talents and abilities, and lack empathy for others. The researchers stress that narcissism is not the same as high self-esteem.


"A person with high self-esteem is confident and charming, but they also have a caring component and they want to develop intimacy with others," said lead researcher Amy Brunell, a psychologist at Ohio State University at Newark. "Narcissists have an inflated view of their talents and abilities and are all about themselves. They don't care as much about others."


She added, "It's not surprising that narcissists become leaders. They like power, they are egotistical, and they are usually charming and extraverted. But the problem is, they don't necessarily make better leaders."

Narcissists Tend to Become Leaders - Yahoo! News

 

[Jack Flak]

Hungry people like to eat.

 

[Kora]

I'd better say that they (like to) THINK they are the leaders.

 

[entropie]

I better stay out of this topic

 

[Synarch]

Leadership comes from strength and internal integrity. Narcissists excel at presenting the appearance of strength. They excel at presenting the appearance of anything desirable. Unfortunately, this ability means that it can be difficult to both identify and counter them. Maybe we should use some sort of evaluation to measure moral strength and integrity?

 

[entropie]

I got your sarcasm

 

[Wade Wilson]

They also tend to become serial killers.

 

[Synarch]

They need to be liked too much to be serial killers.

 

[Usehername]

They need to be liked too much to be serial killers.

That's what I would assume, too.

 

[Magic Poriferan]

They need to be liked too much to be serial killers.

That's what I would assume, too.

No, they have the capacity to be serial killers. You must understand that the ways a person feeds their own sense of superiority is varried and complex. Further more, many serial killers are very well liked in their public lives.

In the case of both leaders and serial killers, however, sociopaths are more common than narcissists.

 

[Synarch]

And actually, one of the best ways to deal with narcissists is to be both non-threatening and yet unmoved by their manipulations to be liked or respected. This is your lever against them. If they wheedle and try to earn compliments, remain aloof and unmoved (unmanipulated). If they try to evoke sympathy, remain aloof. If they try to provoke, remain aloof.

This is a good way to deal with most people who seek to get something from you. Deny what they seek and yet support the hope that you will eventually relent.

 

[Synarch]

No, they have the capacity to be serial killers. You must understand that the ways a person feeds their own sense of superiority is varried and complex. Further more, many serial killers are very well liked in their public lives.

In the case of both leaders and serial killers, however, sociopaths are more common than narcissists.

I think a true narcissist could not abide the idea that anyone would think they were 'weird' or 'bad' or 'broken' so they do really need to be liked and hence not serial killers. Unlike sociopaths, maybe their sense of superiority is merely compensatory against the reality of their insecurity? I don't know. I may be confusing all the different terms.

 

[FDG]

Better a narcissist leader than a type-A leader.

 

[The Ü™]

They also tend to become serial killers.

They need to be liked too much to be serial killers.

That's what I would assume, too.

What? You don't like serial killers?

 

[booyalab]

Better a narcissist leader than a type-A leader.

why?