#Me: Narcissism and its facets as predictors of selfie-posting frequency

• The association between narcissism, its facets, and selfie posting was studied.
• Three-factor structure of Narcissistic Personality Inventory was confirmed.
• Total narcissism and two of its three facets predicted selfie-posting frequency.
• Leadership/Authority was a stronger predictor of selfie posting for women than men.
• Entitlement/Exploitativeness predicted selfie posting for men, but not women.

“Selfies” are amateur photographs people take of themselves, usually with a smartphone. Sharing selfies on social media has become a popular activity, prompting questions about its psychological meaning and dispositionally-relevant motives. This study was performed to examine the association between narcissism, a personality trait characterized by inflated self-views and attempts to seek attention and admiration from others, and frequency of posting selfies on social networking sites. In addition, the association between posting selfies and three facets of narcissism (i.e., Leadership/Authority, Grandiose Exhibitionism, Entitlement/Exploitativeness) was explored. These questions were addressed in a nationally representative sample of 1204 men and women who completed an online survey. Results showed that narcissism, as well as the Leadership/Authority and Grandiose Exhibitionism facets, but not Entitlement/Exploitativeness, exhibited positive and significant associations with selfie-posting frequency. Age did not moderate the predictive effects of narcissism or any of its three dimensions, indicating that the relationship between narcissism, its facets, and posting selfies is not age dependent. However, the more adaptive Leadership/Authority facet emerged as a stronger predictor of selfie posting among women than men, whereas the maladaptive Entitlement/Exploitativeness facet predicted selfie posting among men, but not women. Interpretations and implications of these findings are discussed.