NARCISSISM AT WORK · Marie-LineGermain WesternCarolinaUniversity Asheville,NC,USA ISBN978-3-319-60329-2 ISBN978-3-319-60330-8 (eBook) DOI10.1007/978-3-319-60330-8...

NARCISSISM AT WORK

Marie-Line Germain

PersonalityDisorders of

Corporate Leaders

Narcissism at Work

Marie-Line Germain

Narcissism at WorkPersonality Disorders of Corporate Leaders

Marie-Line GermainWestern Carolina University Asheville, NC, USA

ISBN 978-3-319-60329-2 ISBN 978-3-319-60330-8 (eBook)DOI 10.1007/978-3-319-60330-8

Library of Congress Control Number: 2017944086

© The Editor(s) (if applicable) and The Author(s) 2018This work is subject to copyright. All rights are solely and exclusively licensed by the Publisher, whether the whole or part of the material is concerned, specifically the rights of translation, reprinting, reuse of illustrations, recitation, broadcasting, reproduction on microfilms or in any other physical way, and transmission or information storage and retrieval, electronic adaptation, computer software, or by similar or dissimilar methodology now known or hereafter developed.The use of general descriptive names, registered names, trademarks, service marks, etc. in this publication does not imply, even in the absence of a specific statement, that such names are exempt from the relevant protective laws and regulations and therefore free for general use.The publisher, the authors and the editors are safe to assume that the advice and information in this book are believed to be true and accurate at the date of publication. Neither the publisher nor the authors or the editors give a warranty, express or implied, with respect to the material contained herein or for any errors or omissions that may have been made. The publisher remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.

Cover illustration: © nemesis2207/Fotolia.co.uk

Printed on acid-free paper

This Palgrave Macmillan imprint is published by Springer Nature The registered company is Springer International Publishing AG The registered company address is: Gewerbestrasse 11, 6330 Cham, Switzerland

To my paternal grandparents, Jeanne and René Germain.You were right: benevolence, loyalty, and honesty do pay off.

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Contents

1 Introduction 1

Part I Research Background and Definitions

2 Definition and Description (Traits and Skills) of Narcissistic Leaders 9

3 Assessment of Narcissistic Personality Disorder (NPD) 25

4 Narcissism in Leadership and Management: A Research Summary 41

Part II Understanding NPD Corporate Leaders

5 How NPD Leaders Perceive Themselves and Others 71

viii CONTENTS

Part III Practice: Practical Solutions for Those Who Work with NPD Corporate Leaders

6 Considerations for HR, Consultants, and Organizational Psychologists 87

Part IV Case Studies and Proposed Solutions

7 Case Studies and Practical Advice 121

8 Book Summary and Directions for Future Research 151

Appendix 169

Index 175

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About the Author

Dr. Marie-Line Germain is a research, teaching, and service award-winning Associate Professor of Human Resources and Leadership at Western Carolina University (part of the University of North Carolina System). Her Ph.D. is in Leadership with a specialization in human resource development. She has authored book chapters and two dozen research articles in refereed journals. Her research focuses on employee expertise, mental health in the workplace, and dysfunctional leadership behaviors. She has received several national research awards and com-petitive grants and holds multiple leadership roles at research and pro-fessional associations. In addition, she directs The HR Consulting Initiative, which provides pro bono human resources consulting nation-wide. She has been a visiting scholar in Japan, South Korea, and Ghana, and has been a visiting professor in Finland. She has also been the recipi-ent of a Fulbright specialist scholarship.

xi

List of figures

Fig. 2.1 The hierarchical structure of pathological narcissism 16

xiii

List of tAbLes

Table 1.1 Google scholar publications by search term 2Table 1.2 MEDLINE publications by search term 2Table 1.3 ProQuest publications by search term 3Table 2.1 Brief description of axis II personality

disorders—Cluster B personality disorders 20Table 2.2 Behaviors of Narcissistic Leaders 21Table 2.3 Interpersonal challenges associated

with pathological narcissism 21Table 3.1 NPI-16: 16-item pair measure of narcissism 31

1

Abstract Germain presents a much-needed summary of the research on personality disorders of corporate leaders, while offering practical advice for the people who work with them. Focusing on the behaviors of lead-ers with observable Narcissistic Personality Disorder (NPD), the chap-ter strives to assist human resource (HR) professionals, managers, and employees in achieving a broad understanding of NPD, in order for employees to optimize relationships and advance their own careers.

Keywords Narcissistic Personality Disorder (NPD) behaviors Work relationships · Career

Inflated self-worth and a sense of entitlement have become pervasive in American youth (Twenge and Campbell 2009). Singers, actors, and other celebrities often express a highly exaggerated self-image, which may be perceived by youth as expected and desirable. The cult of celeb-rity can harm teenagers as they grow up in a world where being rich and famous is viewed as the highest achievement (Burgo 2015)—particularly when their parents expect them to be social winners. Celebrity worship encourages teens’ inherent narcissistic tendencies, offering an escape from their own shortcomings and, possibly, their own sense of shame. They come to associate fame with happiness and become convinced that those with talent, or perceived talent, will achieve success. Yet, narcissists

CHAPTER 1

Introduction

© The Author(s) 2018 M.-L. Germain, Narcissism at Work, DOI 10.1007/978-3-319-60330-8_1

2 M.-L. GERMAIN

are incapable of attaining and maintaining high professional goals unless they are focused, determined, hardworking, and gifted with charm.

Narcissism continues to be studied in a variety of contexts, includ-ing clinical psychology, organizational and social psychology, and cor-porate management. The exponential number of articles published since 1980 in scholarly journals on the topic of personality disorders and their impact in the workplace reveals the increasing interest and prominence of study in this field.

Table 1.1 shows the increase of research articles published in all medi-cal journals combined from 1980 forward. In the past 36 years, articles related to the topic of narcissism increased by 75%, while those related to bullying show an increase of 1384%.

Table 1.2 demonstrates a 101,000% increase in the number of research articles during that same 36-year period through the search engine MEDLINE (Medical Literature Analysis and Retrieval System

Table 1.1 Google scholar publications by search term (Search results as of September 25, 2016)

Years of publication Search term

Psychopathy Narcissism Personality disorder Bullying

1980–1989 2930 14,000 48,300 58401990–1999 5460 23,100 140,000 16,5002000–2009 15,300 30,900 799,000 95,4002010–Sept 2016 17,000 24,500 320,000 86,700Percentage increase 1980–2016 480% 75% 562% 1384%

Table 1.2 MEDLINE publications by search term (Search results as of October 3, 2016)

Years of publication Search term

Psychopathy Narcissism Personality disorder Bullying

1980–1989 145 705 9059 31990–1999 217 468 17,493 1012000–2009 760 484 20,762 8582010–Sept 2016 1128 641 15,876 3033Percentage increase 1980–2016

678% −9% 75% 101,000%

1 INTRODUCTION 3

Online, or MEDLARS Online), a bibliographic database of life sciences and biomedical information.

Table 1.3 shows the number of articles published in the abstract and index database ProQuest, which provides sources for researchers. From 1980 forward, the number of sources related to narcissism, specifically, has increased by 2406% and for the search term “personality disorders” by 3030%.

This sharp increase in scholarly articles focused on narcissism mir-rors the well-documented development of this personality disorder in Western cultures. Some have labeled narcissism a “modern epidemic,” pointing to the rapid change in society that occurred in industrial and post-industrial times as the cause (The Conversation 2016). The past three decades have witnessed a societal shift from a commitment to the collective to a focus on the individual or the self. The self-esteem move-ment was an important turning point in this. It determined that self-esteem was the key to success in life. Educators and parents began telling each child how special and unique he or she is, in order to make each feel more confident. Educators and parents moved to “confer” self-esteem upon their children, rather than letting them achieve it through hard work.

The rise of individualism (with its focus on the self and one’s inner feelings) and the decline in social norms that accompanied the mod-ernization of society mean that the community and the family are no

Table 1.3 ProQuest publications by search term (Search results as of September 25, 2016)

Years of publication

Search term

Psychopathy and workplace and employee

Narcissism and workplace and employee

Personality disorder and workplace and employee

Bullying and workplace and employee

1980–1989 10 126 476 4281990–1999 71 859 5223 50212000–2009 650 2830 18,341 28,8172010–Sept 2016 691 3158 14,900 46,309Percentage increase 1980–2016

6810% 2406% 3030% 10,719%

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longer able to provide the same support for individuals as they once did. Research has shown that being embedded in social networks—such as being actively engaged in your community and connected with friends and family—has major health benefits.

As the social fabric deteriorated, it became much harder to meet the basic need for meaningful connection. The question moved from “what is best for others” to “what is best for me.” The modernization of soci-ety seemingly prizes fame, wealth, and celebrity above all else. All this, combined with the breakdown in social ties created an “empty self, shorn of social meaning.”

In addition, the increased use of social media, including Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter, is further changing the way free time is spent and communication with others is pursued. Today, there are nearly 1.13 billion daily active Facebook users worldwide. Internet addiction is a new area of study in mental health, and recent cross-sectional research shows that addiction to Facebook is strongly linked to narcissistic behavior and low self-esteem (Malik and Khan 2015).

While narcissism among young people is better researched, the impact narcissistic individuals have on a corporate organization, in general, and on their colleagues, in particular, is just beginning to be explored (Judge et al. 2006). Personality disorders, of which narcissism is one, can cause serious problems in interpersonal workplace relationships, includ-ing those with subordinates, co-workers, and supervisors (Ettner et al. 2011). Given the large number of narcissists at the helms of corporations today, the challenge facing organizations is to ensure that such leaders do not self-destruct or lead the company to disaster. Maccoby (2003) suggests that employees learn how to recognize—and work around—narcissistic bosses. He also recommends that organizations leverage their narcissistic leaders’ strengths while tempering their weaknesses.

Most books on the topic of personality disorders focus on personal relationships with family and friends and offer coping mechanisms to some degree, but very few studies explore personality disorders as they impact the workplace. This book places specific emphasis on the clinical diagnosis of Narcissistic Personality Disorder (NPD) among those who lead people and organizations. A summary of the current research is pro-vided, followed by a discussion of overt and covert narcissistic character-istics, what psychometric measures are currently available to assess NPD, and its link to management.

1 INTRODUCTION 5

Narcissism has been identified as a hallmark of many high-achieving, ambitious people (Yudofsky 2005), suggesting that such persons achieve greater career success. Their disorder is often not perceived as problem-atic until affected peers or subordinates voice concerns about distress-ing abnormalities they experience with such leaders. Working with a narcissistic leader can be taxing even for emotionally healthy individu-als. Through manipulative, exploitative, and controlling behavior, a ten-dency to distort reality, and demonstrations of hostility, contempt, or rage, leaders with NPD may cause significant emotional harm to others. The needs of NPD leaders may deplete the energy of colleagues who, unaware of the disorder, are also ill-equipped to address it. Extreme nar-cissistic traits manifest in the devaluation of others, either subtly with condescension, or by criticism. These bullying behaviors lead to progres-sive erosion of direct reports’ self-esteem.

A 2010 study by Hershcovis and Barling found that workplace bul-lying—a tactic often employed by leaders with NPD—such as belittling comments, persistent criticism of work, and withholding resources, appears to inflict more harm on employees than sexual harassment. As the authors put it, “As sexual harassment becomes less acceptable in soci-ety, organizations may be more attuned to supporting victims, who may therefore find it easier to cope. In contrast, non-violent forms of work-place aggression such as incivility and bullying are not illegal, leaving victims to fend for themselves.” From a total of 128 samples that were used, 46 included subjects who experienced sexual harassment, 86 expe-rienced workplace aggression, and six experienced both. Sample sizes ranged from 1491 to 53,470 people, and participants ranged from 18 to 65 years of age.

Despite their prevalence in high-level corporate leaders, personal-ity disorders are rarely the subject of clinical studies because of the recurrent stigma and divide between business functions and employee psychology. Also, clinical psychologists and psychiatrists are held to pro-fessional standards that make them reluctant to diagnose personality dis-orders without administering a formal assessment. This book is based on the descriptions of behaviors of leaders with observable NPD as per-ceived by their co-workers. While some narcissistic leaders have shown to be organizational “saviors,” their behaviors can be equally damag-ing to those working with them. Organizational variables and culture can be affected, including worker motivation and well-being, turnover intention, productivity, and, ultimately, the organization’s bottom line.

6 M.-L. GERMAIN

Practical advice on how to handle these challenges is not readily available (Ettner et al. 2011).

This book strives to assist Human Resource professionals, mid- and low-level managers, and employees in achieving a broad understand-ing of Narcissistic Personality Disorder. The practical part of the book provides advice for those who work with leaders who demonstrate NPD characteristics in the organizational setting, with the goal of optimizing relationships and advancing their own careers.

referenCes

Burgo, J. (2015). The narcissist you know: Defending yourself against extreme nar-cissists in an all-about-me age. New York, NY: Simon and Schuster.

Ettner, S. L., Maclean, J. C., & French, M. T. (2011). Does having a dysfunc-tional personality hurt your career? Axis II personality disorders and labor market outcomes. Industrial Relations: A Journal of Economy and Society, 50(1), 149–173.

Judge, T. A., Scott, B. A., & Ilies, R. (2006). Hostility, job attitudes, and work-place deviance: Test of a multilevel model. Journal of Applied Psychology, 91(1), 126.

Maccoby, M. (2003). The Productive Narcissist: The Promise and Peril of Visionary Leadership. New York, NY: Broadway Books.

Malik, S., & Khan, M. (2015). Impact of Facebook addiction on narcissis-tic behavior and self-esteem among students. Journal of Pakistan Medical Association, 65(3), 260–263.

The Conversation. (2016). Why are we becoming so narcissistic? Here is the sci-ence. Retrieved from https://theconversation.com/why-are-we-becoming-so-narcissistic-heres-the-science-55773.

Twenge, J. M., & Campbell, W. K. (2009). The narcissism epidemic: Living in the age of entitlement. New York, NY: Simon and Schuster.

Yudofsky, S. C. (2005). Fatal Flaws: Navigating Destructive Relationships with People with Disorders of Personality and Character. Washington, DC: American Psychiatric Publishing, Inc.

PART I

Research Background and Definitions

9

Abstract After describing the different clusters of personality disorders and their associated traits and behaviors, Germain details the differ-ences between healthy and unhealthy narcissism, as well as clarifying the concepts of covert vs. overt narcissism. “Definition and Description of Narcissistic Leaders” then examines the role of racial and gender differ-ences in narcissistic individuals. After presenting interpersonal challenges associated with pathological narcissism, Germain concludes by placing NPD in the workplace context. She does so by discussing how certain corporate leaders may present observable signs of NPD in the workplace, and how these signs may affect employees and organizations as a whole.

Keywords Traits and behaviors of NPD · Healthy vs. unhealthy narcissism Covert vs. overt narcissism · Interpersonal challenges · Pathological narcissism · NPD in the workplace

bACkground on PersonALity disorders

The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM) offers specific diagnostic criteria to better define two broad classes of psychiatric disorders: Axis I (clinical disorders such as depression, anxiety, schizophre-nia, or bipolar disorder) and Axis II (personality disorders [APA 2000]).

To be diagnosed with a personality disorder (PD), an individual must display “an enduring pattern of inner experience and behavior that

CHAPTER 2

Definition and Description (Traits and Skills) of Narcissistic Leaders

© The Author(s) 2018 M.-L. Germain, Narcissism at Work, DOI 10.1007/978-3-319-60330-8_2

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deviates markedly from the expectations of the individual’s culture” (APA 2000). Furthermore, the behavior patterns of the individual must be evident in at least two of the following mental activities:

1. Cognition (the way in which one perceives or interprets oneself, other people, and/or events)

2. Affectivity (the range, intensity, liability, and appropriateness of one’s emotional responses)

3. Interpersonal functioning4. Impulse control

The pattern of behavior must also meet the following standards:

• Be rigid and prevalent across a wide range of personal and/or social situations

• Be stable and enduring, with the onset attributable to adolescence or, at the very least, early adulthood; cannot be a consequence of substance abuse, a medical condition, or another mental disorder

• Results in clinically significant malaise or impairment regarding social, occupational, or other vital areas of functioning

PDs are grouped in three clusters, identified as A, B, and C:

• Cluster A includes a cognitive dimension (Paris 2003) and incorporates paranoid, schizoid, and schizotypal personality disorders. Often, peo-ple with Cluster A disorders are regarded as being weird or eccentric, speaking or behaving in abnormal ways, exhibiting peculiar cognitions and ideas, and potentially struggling to relate to others (APA 2000).

• Cluster B disorders, correlating to externalizing dimensions (Paris 2003), encompass antisocial, histrionic, borderline, and narcissis-tic personality disorders. In general, people who suffer from Cluster B disorders may demonstrate behavior that is overly emotional, dra-matic, or erratic, and they will often act out with little regard for social norms. They struggle with impulsive behavior and are commonly hos-tile toward other people as well as engaging in self-abuse (APA 2000).

• Cluster C disorders, correlating to internalizing dimensions (Paris 2003), include PDs that are avoidant, dependent, and obsessive-compulsive. Those who suffer from Cluster C disorders are likely to experience feelings of anxiety, extreme fear of social interactions, and generalized loss of control (APA 2000).