Document Type
Article
Publication Date
3-2025
Journal / Book Title
Current Issues in Personality Psychology
Abstract
Background:
Although prior research has found a significant association between narcissistic tendencies and fame interest, details regarding the particular nature of this relationship remain to be elucidated. The present online survey study (N = 355) replicates and extends prior research examining the links between two subtypes of narcissism and fame appeal. Specifically, we distinguish between grandiose and vulnerable narcissism, as predictors of Visibility, Status, and Prosocial domains of fame appeal. Further, we examine the potential mediating role of imaginary audience fantasies.
Participants and procedure:
Participants were drawn from a student sample (74% female-identifying) aged 18 to 25 who completed an online survey for course credit.
Results:
Both grandiose and vulnerable narcissism predicted the Visibility appeal of fame, but only vulnerable narcissism predicted the Status appeal of fame. An inverse relationship emerged between grandiose narcissism and Prosocial appeal. Importantly, the frequency of imaginary audience fantasies mediated between both forms of narcissism and the Visibility and Prosocial appeals of fame.
Conclusions:
For those with grandiose or vulnerable narcissistic tendencies, whose self-image incorporates fantasies of being noticed and admired, celebrity and fame may be particularly appealing.
DOI
10.5114/cipp/197263
Montclair State University Digital Commons Citation
Greenwood, Dara; Archer, Qiana; Ash, Sydney; and Keenan, Julian Paul, "Connecting the dots between narcissism and fame appeal: the role of imaginary audience fantasies" (2025). Department of Biology Faculty Scholarship and Creative Works. 510.
https://digitalcommons.montclair.edu/biology-facpubs/510
Rights
This is an Open Access journal, all articles are distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International (CC BY-NC-SA 4.0) License (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0/)
Published Citation
Greenwood, D., Archer, Q., Ash, S. & Keenan, J. (2025). Connecting the dots between narcissism and fame appeal: the role of imaginary audience fantasies. Current Issues in Personality Psychology, 13(3), 202–210. https://doi.org/10.5114/cipp/197263