Direct and interactive effects of narcissism and power on overconfidence

Prior research has separately examined the influence that narcissism and power have on the general concept of overconfidence. In this article we examine the influence of narcissism on overconfidence utilizing three different methods to operationalize the overconfidence construct (Studies 1–4). In addition, we examine the role that power plays in the relationship between narcissism and overconfidence (Studies 2–4). Results indicate that both narcissism and power both individually and collectively exert an influence on overconfidence. Furthermore, when individuals who score relatively high on the Narcissistic Personality Inventory are in an elevated state of power, overconfidence is significantly higher than for individuals in a low state of power. This interaction effect, however, was only evident when high levels of narcissism were overweighted in the analyses, by, for example, oversampling (Study 4). We conclude by discussing implications and avenues for future research.