Because I'm Worth It (And You're Not): Separating the Effects of Narcissism and Self-Esteem on Prestige Purchases

Narcissism indicates a chronic tendency toward artificially inflating self-esteem, while true high self-esteem indicates genuine feelings of self-worth. Two studies separate the effects of narcissism and self-esteem, showing that threatened low self-esteem participants mimic narcissists by increasing prestige consumption, while high self-esteem participants prefer value-based purchases regardless of ego-threat condition.