Narcissists Aren't the Leaders They Think They Are

Narcissus, by Michelangelo Caravaggio, ca. 1598.

Narcissists are most likely to step in as leaders ~ such as politicians or power brokers ~ but that doesn't mean they are the best leaders. Recent studies concluded that narcissists don’t actually outperform others in leadership roles.

They do, however, tend to be egotistical types who exaggerate their talents and abilities, and lack empathy for others.

"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," lead researcher Amy Brunell, a psychologist at Ohio State University at Newark, told Live Science. "Narcissists have an inflated view of their talents and abilities and are all about themselves. They don’t care as much about others."

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

• In one study, 432 undergraduate students completed surveys that measured various personality traits, including aspects of narcissism. The students were put in groups of four and told to assume they were a committee of senior officers of the student union. Their task was to elect next year's director. Students who scored higher on narcissism were more likely to say they wanted to lead the group. They were also more likely to say they did lead the group discussion and said they were more likely to be viewed as leaders by the other group members.

• In a similar study, more than 400 students were told to imagine they were shipwrecked on an uninhabited island and had to choose 15 items from the ship that would best help them survive on the island. Those who scored highest on narcissism again showed the most desire to lead the group discussion, rated themselves as leaders, and were viewed by other group members as the leaders. The researchers compared the 15-item lists with one prepared by an expert who has taught survival skills to the U.S. military. Narcissists did no better than their less self-centered counterparts at choosing survival items.

• A third study involved more than 150 business managers enrolled in an executive MBA program at a large southeastern university. The managers were grouped in fours and told to assume the role of a school board deciding how to allocate a large financial contribution from a fictional company. The MBA students who rated highest in narcissism were most likely to emerge as group leaders. The results held even when other personality traits, such as self-esteem and extraversion, were taken into account.

Wall Street traders could also have a high dose of narcissism, Brunell suggested. "There have been a lot of studies that have found narcissistic leaders tend to have volatile and risky decision-making performance and can be ineffective and potentially destructive leaders."

Click here for the Live Science article.