UWA: A new study investigating the causes of narcissism in children is
looking for 300 volunteers aged between eight and 16, and their parents,
to take part in a survey.
PhD student Kate Derry, from The University of Western Australia’s
School of Psychology, said her research would explore narcissism as a
personality trait.
“Narcissism is actually something that most people possess in normal populations to some extent,” Ms Derry said. “I’ll
look at how narcissism manifests in children, how it differs from
self-esteem, whether it is related to positive or problematic
functioning and development and what kind of environmental influences,
such as parenting and praise, are related to different expressions of
the trait.
“I want to use my research to try and understand the
nature of narcissism, this grandiose sense of self, in children and
identify the contributing factors.
“Focusing on self has become
increasingly entrenched in Western culture. Social media puts it on
display by allowing people to post a pin-up board of ‘selfies’ or to
exchange their thoughts for ‘likes’. Reality television brings us the
dream of overnight stardom.
“It could be that having a high or
inflated confidence during childhood works differently than in adults
because kids are routinely confronted with failure and struggle during
this time of development as they work hard to master new skills and
develop a sense of who they are. Children need to develop resilience
during this difficult period.
“However, a great source of
unhappiness for people with a strong sense of entitlement is unmet
expectations. If you’ve grown up believing that you’re exceptional, the
idea of starting at the bottom when you go into the workforce, for
example, may be extremely disconcerting.”
Ms Derry said the
online study could be done from home and would take five to 10 minutes
for parents to complete and 10 to 15 minutes for children, depending on
their reading speed.
“Parents can access their survey at www.tinyurl.com/SSBParents
and once they have consented, will be sent the URL for the child
survey,” she said. “Parents can also win one of 20 $50 Coles/Myers
vouchers for their time.
“My hope is that by looking at these
factors, we’ll be able to understand how narcissism and entitlement work
during childhood so that we can provide information to parents that
will empower them to make the right choices for a happy and fulfilling
life for their children.”