Power Increases the Socially Toxic Component of Narcissism AmongIndividuals With High Baseline Testosterone

The corrosive effects of power have been noted for centuries, but the self-related changes responsible forthose effects have remained somewhat elusive. Narcissists tend to rise to-and abuse-positions ofpower, so we considered the possibility that positions of power may corrupt because they inflatenarcissism. Two pathways were considered: Powerholders abuse their power because having power overothers makes them feel superior (grandiosity pathway) or deserving of special treatment (entitlementpathway). Supporting the entitlement pathway, assigning participants to a position of power (vs. equalcontrol) over a group task increased scores on the Exploitative/Entitlement component of narcissismamong those with high baseline testosterone. What is more, heightened Exploitative/Entitlement scoresamong high-testosterone participants endowed with power (vs. equal control) statistically explainedamplified self-reported willingness to misuse their power (e.g., taking fringe benefits as extra compen-sation). The grandiosity pathway was not well supported. The Superiority/Arrogance, Self-Absorption/Self-Admiration, and Leadership/Authority facets of narcissism did not change as a function of the powermanipulation and testosterone levels. Taken together, these results suggest that people with high (but notlow) testosterone may be inclined to misuse their power because having power over others makes themfeel entitled to special treatment. This work identifies testosterone as a characteristic that contributes tothe development of the socially toxic component of narcissism (Exploitative/Entitlement). It points to thepossibility that structural positions of power and individual differences in narcissism may be mutuallyreinforcing, suggesting a vicious cycle with personal, relational, and societal implications.