Narcissism and Self-Respect in the Facebook Universe
Keywords:
Facebook, Narcissism, self-respect, NPI–40, RSESAbstract
Massive use of social networks unveiled a completely novel mode of self-presentation. Nevertheless, there is no comprehensive psychological explanation of the phenomenon. This study investigated whether certain personality traits affect the modes of Facebook use. A sample consisting of 68 young males and 85 young females from Novi Sad, Serbia, was probed with the Narcissism Personality Inventory, Rosenberg’s Self-Esteem Scale, and Carpenter’s Scale of Facebook Behavior. Our data indicate that greater Facebook activity was positively correlated with narcissism and negatively correlated with self-esteem. Narcissism was significantly correlated with both self –promotion and with seeking support from others, while low self-esteem was significantly correlated only with self-promotion. There was no evidence of gender-related difference with respect to narcissism. Predominant self-promotion Facebook activity among the girls could be attributed to their significantly lower scores on self-respect. Thus, our data are in general agreement with the assumption about self-presentation on Facebook use.
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