Ramzi Fatfouta

• Dr. habil.
• Independent Researcher

A large body of research has documented a positive link between narcissism and counterproductive work behavior (CWB). However, previous studies focused exclusively on explicit (self-reported) narcissism, thereby neglecting the role of implicit (indirectly measured) narcissism. Using a sample of 504 employees, the present investigation aimed for an...

Narcissism is widely considered to be an important predictor of organizational citizenship behavior (OCB), but there is ambiguity regarding the nature of this relationship. This is likely because existing studies focused on narcissism as a unidimensional construct, thereby neglecting its multifaceted structure. Using data from a diverse sample of 5...

Face masks play a pivotal role in the control of respiratory diseases, such as the novel coronavirus (COVID-19). Despite their widespread use, little is known about how face masks affect human social interaction. Using unique experimental data collected early on in the pandemic, we investigate how facial occlusion by face masks alters socio-economi...

Broad sections of the population try to be more mindful, often with quite self-centered motives. It is therefore not surprising that there is growing interest in the investigation of narcissism and mindfulness. Despite theoretical and empirical ties, however, existing research on this association is scarce. In two studies (N = 3,134 and 403) with E...

Drawing on signaling theory, the current experimental study (N = 593) investigated the influence of top employer awards on the connections between the full spectrum of narcissistic personality features (i.e., agentic, antagonistic, neurotic, and communal) and perceived company prestige. The results of our experiment show that employer awards enhanc...

Narcissism is a relatively stable personality trait, which is most accurately described by three facets: agentic, antagonistic, and neurotic. Existing studies support the central role of antagonistic narcissism and its role in explaining the process of fluctuation in narcissism. However, there is a lack of a suitable adjective-based measure of anta...

Narcissism is a relatively stable personality trait, which is most accurately described by three facets: agentic, antagonistic, and neurotic. Existing studies support the central role of antagonistic narcissism and its role in explaining the process of fluctuation in narcissism. However, there is a lack of a suitable adjective-based measure of anta...

Although interindividual differences in narcissism are well studied, little is known about assessing narcissism at the within-person level. To fill this research gap, we investigated whether the narcissism construct is represented in the same way at the between- and within-person levels. We analyzed four established narcissism measures across multi...

Objective To examine the associations that narcissistic personality traits had with the preference for solitude. Background Preference for solitude may be impacted by various characteristics. Narcissism may be one such characteristic given its association with specific motivations for engagement with other individuals (e.g., status attainment). M...

While the objective level of intelligence is not associated with narcissism, relations to self-assessed intelligence (SAI) have been repeatedly reported. Existing research suggests that different facets of narcissism may have different associations with SAI. In the current daily diary study ( N = 176; N = 3975 total observations), we employed dynam...

The use of masculine forms in job titles (e.g., fireman, salesman) can deter women from applying or being selected for certain positions. The current research investigated the degree to which masculine linguistic forms are effective as generics. An experiment (N = 273) assessed to what extent four linguistic forms of job titles in German—masculine,...

Previous research highlights that narcissism predicts a wide range of antisocial tendencies. We propose that the expression of such tendencies is contingent on the level of dispositional self-control. Three independent studies (Ntotal = 1,458) using three different narcissism measures and self-reported as well as behavioral indicators of antisocial...

Previous research highlights that narcissism predicts a wide range of antisocial tendencies. We propose that the expression of such tendencies is contingent on the level of dispositional self-control. Three independent studies (Ntotal = 1,458) using three different narcissism measures and self-reported as well as behavioral indicators of antisocial...

Fear is a fundamental response in the face of a life-threatening pandemic, such as COVID-19. To assess COVID-19-related fear, the Fear of COVID-19 Scale (FCV-19S) has been recently developed and validated in many countries across the globe. The current study aimed to adapt the FCV-19S into German and to examine its psychometric properties. Particip...

Previous research highlights that narcissism predicts a wide range of antisocial tendencies. We propose that the expression of such tendencies is contingent on the level of dispositional self-control. Three independent studies (N total = 1,458) using three different narcissism measures and self-reported as well as behavioral indicators of antisocia...

Mask wearing plays a vital role in the fight against the novel coronavirus (COVID-19). Despite its ubiquity in everyday social life, it is still unknown how masked faces are mentally represented. Drawing on construal-level theory, we test the hypothesis that masked faces and unmasked faces are implicitly associated with psychological distance and p...

Research on the positivity of collective narcissists’ in-group evaluation is scarce. So far, only one published study has shown that collective narcissists favorably evaluate their in-group at the explicit level but have negative (or, less positive) implicit in-group evaluations (Golec de Zavala et al., 2009, Study 4). The present preregistered rep...

Mask wearing plays a vital role in the fight against the novel coronavirus (COVID-19). Despite its ubiquity in everyday social life, it is still unknown how masked faces are mentally represented. Drawing on construal level theory, we test the hypothesis that masked faces and unmasked faces are implicitly associated with psychological distance and p...

People from societies with increased individualism are assumed to be more narcissistic, yet previous research has produced highly contradictory results. Using a large international convenience sample (N = 2754) of English speaking adults and taking measurement invariance into account, we examined latent mean differences in the Narcissistic Personal...

We present a dual-pathway model that differentiates two underlying mechanisms by which age affects selection decisions. In two experimental studies, one with lay persons (n = 316) and one with experienced Human Resource professionals (n = 103), we demonstrate that the relationship between older age and hireability is negatively mediated by perceive...

Objectives: We aimed to introduce, validate, and showcase the utility of a new construct: communal collective narcissism. Method: We conducted four studies, in which we developed a new scale for communal collective narcissism (Study 1, N = 856), tested the construct’s unique predictions (Study 2, N = 276), examined its social relevance (Study 3, N...

Wording of job advertisements is assumed to impact job seekers’ perceptions of organizational attraction, yet little is known about the role narcissism plays in this context. To begin to fill this gap, we investigated how narcissists who self-enhance in communal domains (e.g., friendliness, helpfulness, and trustworthiness) respond to systematic wo...

Face masks play a pivotal role in the control and prevention of respiratory diseases, such as the novel coronavirus (COVID-19). Despite their widespread use, it is not known how face masks affect human social interaction. In this behavioral economics study (N = 475), we examined how mask-wearing modulates individuals’ likelihood of acceptance of un...

Narcissism has traditionally been assessed using explicit measures, yet contemporary measures are limited in their ability to capture people’s automatic (i.e., implicit) self-evaluations. Here, we propose the antagonistic narcissism Implicit Association Test (AN-IAT). Three studies (N = 1082) using self-, informant-reports, and other implicit measu...

Narcissists appear to be charismatic, yet the literature is inconsistent as to the systematic relationship between narcissism and charisma. To address this gap in the literature, the present study (N = 727) compared the convergence and divergence between narcissism and charisma through the prism of their facets. We hypothesized that agentic and com...

Research on narcissists’ explicit self-esteem (ESE) and implicit self-esteem (ISE) is characterized by a wide array of competing hypotheses and inconsistent empirical findings. Using data from 18 samples (total N = 5,547), we moved beyond classical null-hypothesis testing and employed an information-theoretic approach combined with Response Surface...

Previous research has shown that individuals high in narcissism mistrust others, yet little is known about nar-cissism's relation to trust. In the current study (N = 727), we aim to close this gap in the literature by examining the relationship between facets of trust (i.e., cognitive bias in the evaluation of others and personal trust-worthiness)...

Research on narcissism continues to develop at a rapid pace. Yet, researchers from different disciplines are still divided over whether narcissists are good versus bad leaders. On the one hand, narcissists' bright qualities (e.g., charisma) are associated with positive outcomes at different levels of analysis from subordinates, to peers, and the or...

Previous research has shown that individuals high in narcissism mistrust others, yet little is known about narcissism’s relation to trust. In the current study (N = 727), we aim to close this gap in the literature by examining the relationship between facets of trust (i.e., cognitive bias in the evaluation of others and personal trustworthiness) an...

Communal narcissists possess the unique belief in their capability to bring about freedom to the world, and so see themselves as “saints”. To examine if this communal self-view extends to the more automatic component of self-evaluation, that is, a person's implicit self-view, the present study (N = 701) tested the extent to which communal narcissis...

Honesty is crucial to navigate the social realm, yet certain individuals – those high in narcissism – tend to engage in dishonesty. In two studies (total N = 910), we aimed to zoom in on the link between grandiose versus vulnerable narcissism and dishonesty, further clarifying the role of the key self-conscious emotions shame and guilt in mediating...

How do narcissists respond to monetary rewards and are there differences in fairness sensitivity between different facets of narcissism? The present study (N = 287) investigated these questions using the Ultimatum Game, a behavioral decision-making task involving the presentation of advantageous and disadvantageous financial offers. The results of...

Communal narcissism can be defined as grandiose self-views in the communal domain. Within the literature, two forms of communal narcissism, normal and pathological, can be distinguished. However, no study to date has investigated their convergence and divergence. Using a large community sample (N = 781), the current study aimed to fill this gap thr...

Researchers are still divided over whether narcissists possess positive or negative implicit self-views. Seemingly resolving this issue, Campbell et al. (2007) have demonstrated that narcissism is in fact related to higher implicit self-esteem as long as the implicit measure reflects agency. The present study used a large (N = 730) sample, carefull...

Narcissists are said to be particularly unforgiving, yet previous research remains inconclusive. This is likely because most previous studies focused on narcissism as a unitary construct, thereby neglecting its multiple facets. The present study (N = 1,101) thus aimed to clarify the nuanced associations between different facets of narcissism and fo...

Despite narcissists’ use of social relationships for self-construction, no research to date has been devoted to understanding whether and to what extent narcissists desire social contact. To address this fundamental gap in the literature, the present study (N = 537) aimed to examine the relationships between facets of grandiose narcissism and indiv...

Past research has revealed that narcissists lack forgiveness. However, little is known about factors that might either buffer or, more critically, enhance the link between narcissism and lack of forgiveness. To address this gap in the literature, the present studies focused on the moderating role of clarity of transgression-related motivations. In...

Conflict is a ubiquitous feature of interpersonal relationships, yet many of these relationships preserve their value following conflict. Our ability to refrain from punishment despite the occurrence of conflict is a characteristic of human beings. Using a combination of behavioral and neuroimaging techniques, we show that prosocial decision making...

Social distance (i.e., the degree of closeness to another person) affects the way humans perceive and respond to fairness during financial negotiations. Feeling close to someone enhances the acceptance of monetary offers. Here, we explored whether this effect also extends to the spatial domain. Specifically, using an iterated version of the Ultimat...

Previous work has demonstrated that individuals high (vs. low) in forgiveness are faster to rate their current thoughts and feelings toward their transgressor (i.e., their state forgiveness), but the underlying mechanism is still unclear. The present study examined whether individual differences in rumination about the transgression would mediate t...

The present study investigated the unique contributions of two distinct dimensions of narcissism – admiration and rivalry – to two facets of unforgiveness: revenge and avoidance. In addition, we examined whether state anger, state rumination, and state empathy mediate this relationship. Using a large sample (N = 1040), we found that admiration was...

This study examined the role of automaticity in forgiving a real-life offense. As an alternative to self-report, an Implicit Association Test (IAT) of forgiveness was developed. Implicit (IAT-measured) and explicit (self-reported) forgiveness predicted shorter response times of state forgiveness ratings. The forgiveness IAT was highly reliable, mod...

Traditionally, researchers have subscribed to the belief that forgiveness is a purely decisional process, thereby neglecting the role of automatic, intuitive influences. Recent advancements, however, have consistently shown that forgiveness often depends on implicit (i.e., nondeliberative) processing. We examined the role of automaticity in forgivi...

We focus on two aspects: First, we argue that it is necessary to include implicit forgiveness as an additional adaptive behavioral option to the perception of interpersonal transgressions. Second, we present one possible way to investigate the cognitive-affective underpinnings of revenge and forgiveness: a functional MRI (fMRI) approach aiming at i...