WHERE (AND WHY) DO NARCISSISTS EMERGE AS LEADERS? A CULTURAL PERSPECTIVE

Although narcissists often emerge as leaders, researchers have not explored how and why the relationship may vary across cultures. Drawing on social categorization literature, four experiments explained —contrary to some predictions—why the effect of narcissism on leadership emergence might be more positive in China than in the U.S. While perceived agency (e.g., dominance) facilitated narcissists' rise to the top in both country samples, Chinese respondents perceived narcissists as less lacking in communion (e.g., warmth) and therefore punished them less. Study 4 found that communal leadership stereotype and paradoxical mindset partly explained why Chinese and Americans perceived narcissism differently.