According to Greek and Roman mythology, Narcissus fell in love with his own reflection in a pool. But how does a narcissist view other people? New research sheds light on how narcissistic heterosexual men view heterosexual women, other heterosexual men, lesbians and gay men.
At a Glance: Narcissistic heterosexual men target their hostility primarily at heterosexual women, the objects of their desires; lesbians are seen favourably but not homosexuality in general.
Hostile Reactions:
Heterosexual women bear the brunt of narcissistic heterosexual men's hostility, while heterosexual men, gay men and lesbian women provoke a softer reaction, according to psychologist Dr. Scott Keiller from Kent State University's Tuscarawas campus in Ohio. According to his research, this is likely to be due to women's unparalleled potential for gratifying, or frustrating, men's narcissism. They are crucial players and even gatekeepers in men's quests for sexual pleasure, patriarchal power and status. Dr. Keiller's findings are published online in the July issue of Springer's journal Sex Roles.
Research to date has shown that narcissists' low empathy, feelings of entitlement, and perceptions of being deprived of 'deserved' admiration and gratification can make them prone to aggression and vengeance.
Keiller's study looks at whether narcissists' hostility is targeted at heterosexual women and men, gay men and lesbian women in the same way and with the same intensity. Each group represents a different combination of perceived conformity to traditional gender roles on the one hand, and potential for gratifying a heterosexual man on the other.
The Study in Brief:
A total of 104 male undergraduates from Ohio, aged 21 years on average, 95% of which were Caucasian, took part in the study survey. Keiller looked at measures of narcissism, sexist attitudes toward women and traditional female stereotypes, sexist attitudes toward men and heterosexual male stereotypes, and attitudes toward gay men and lesbian women.
He found that men's narcissism was linked most strongly to hostility toward heterosexual women, more so than toward any other group including heterosexual men, gay men and lesbian women. In fact, men's narcissism was linked to favorable attitudes toward lesbians and was unrelated to attitudes toward gay men. Narcissism was not, however, associated with greater acceptance of homosexuality in general.
Clarifications:
In an email to Gay News Bits, Dr. Keiller elaborated: "Attitudes toward each group were measured globally, meaning that the respondents were asked to rate their agreement with several statements about prejudice and stereotypes toward each group (lesbian women, gay men, heterosexual women, and heterosexual men). The items assessing attitudes toward gay men and attitudes toward lesbian women were identical, except for the words 'gay men' or 'lesbian women.' "
"The respondents' attitudes toward each group of non-heterosexuals were very discrepant. Specifically, heterosexual men had much more favorable attitudes toward lesbian women than toward gay men, consistent with decades of past research. What was a new and notable finding in my study was that heterosexual men's narcissism was unrelated to their attitudes toward gay men, but was related to favorable attitudes toward women. That is, compared to other respondents in my sample, the men higher in narcissism tended to be no more or less likely to have antipathy toward gay men, but were likely to have favorable attitudes toward lesbian women and to have unfavorable attitudes toward heterosexual women. Considered together, these findings suggest that among heterosexual men, narcissism is related to favorable attitudes toward lesbian women, but not with favorable attitudes toward homosexuality in general, as these men were not more favorable (or unfavorable) toward gay men."
Study Conclusions:
According to the author, these results suggest that narcissistic men believe that heterosexual relationships should be patriarchal rather than egalitarian.
Dr. Keiller concludes: "The present study suggests that heterosexual men's narcissism is linked to an adversarial and angry stance toward heterosexual women more than toward other groups. Although narcissists may want to maintain feelings of superiority and power over all people, narcissistic heterosexual men are particularly invested in subordinating heterosexual women. The results suggest that narcissistic hostility is associated with a group's potential to provide or withhold gratification rather than ideology about a group's sexual orientation or conformity to heterosexual gender roles."
Related Link: Journal Article: Male Narcissism and Attitudes Toward Heterosexual Women and Men, Lesbian Women, and Gay Men: Hostility toward Heterosexual Women Most of All
