Foster, J. D. & Campbell, W. K. (October 2005). Narcissism and resistance to doubts about partners., Journal of Research in Personality, 39 (5), 550-557.
Purpose:
Research has been consistent regarding the interpersonal relationships of narcissists. Several lines of research on dating relationships suggest that narcissism is linked to lower relationship commitment which can cause relationships to function less effectively. Foster’s and Campbell’s research dissects those previous findings and sets a new precedence. Although narcissism is generally associated with lower relationship functioning, Foster and Campbell attempt to prove how narcissism can be beneficial.
Method:
The research method used by Foster and Campbell (2005) included one-hundred and fifty-four romantically involved female participants recruited from the University of Georgia research participant pool. Most of the participants were either White (88%) or African American (9%), and nearly all of the relationships were characterized as dating (95%) and exclusive (91%) (Foster & Campbell, 2005). Several questionnaires were used to complete the research. The participants were also given the Narcissistic Personality Inventory (NPI). Research has found that people who score high on the NPI are more likely to: cheat and game-play in relationships; take more resources for themselves and leave less for others; value material things; like looking at themselves in the mirror. Foster and Campbell (2005) then asked participants to list (a) 10 reasons why their romantic partners were highly committed to them (positive commitment task) or (b) 10 reasons why their romantic partners were not very committed to them (negative commitment task. After that, the participants reported how difficult it was to complete the task (higher scores indicate less difficulty) (Foster & Campbell, 2005). Then Foster and Campbell (2005) had participants complete (a) an author-developed assessment of the extent to
References: are in the bibliography section of the original article.