Narcissism and Prosociality: A Meta-Analysis.

OBJECTIVE: While previous research has mainly focused on the general relationship between narcissism and prosocial behavior, the nuanced associations between different forms of narcissism and prosociality remain underexplored. METHOD: To address this gap, we conducted a meta-analysis of 509 effect sizes from 124 studies and 152 samples (total N = 172,863) to explore the narcissism-prosociality link. RESULTS: Using a three-level random effects meta-analysis, we found no significant overall relation between narcissism and prosociality. However, different models revealed distinct patterns: one-factor/total narcissism was positively associated with overall, self-reported, and public prosociality. At the two-factor level, grandiose narcissism was related to greater overall, self-reported, and public prosociality, while vulnerable narcissism was not associated with any type of prosociality. At the three-factor level, agentic/extraversion was associated positively with overall and self-reported prosociality. Entitlement/antagonism was negatively associated with overall prosociality and prosocial behavior in game paradigms, whereas narcissistic neuroticism was not related to any type of prosociality. CONCLUSION: These findings suggest that the relationship between narcissism and prosociality depends on the dimensions of narcissism being considered.