Understanding Narcissistic Personality Traits Through Existential Theory: Insight, Meaning in Life and Existential Anxiety

Existential theory posits that the purpose and meaning of life are unique to the individual and considers humans as phenomenological beings. Insight is crucial for individuals to find purpose and meaning in life and to achieve self-actualization through existential peace and inner comfort. Low insight can lead to difficulties in finding purpose and meaning in life, which can lead to numerous existential problems, particularly existential anxiety. Existential problems are known to be associated with various forms of psychopathology. In this context, the study aimed to investigate the extent to which narcissistic personality traits are shaped by insight, meaning in life, and existential anxiety. The study group consisted of 385 constructs; 37.4 % (144) were male and 62.6 % (241) were female. The Insight Scale, the Meaning in Life Scale, the Existential Anxiety Scale, and the Narcissism subscale of the Dark Triad Scale were used in the study. Analyses were conducted using a serial mediation model using the Process Macro 4.2 (Hayes, 2017) plugin installed in IBM SPSS [Version 25.0] (IBM Corp., 2017). Findings indicated that meaning in life and existential anxiety played a mediating role in the relationship between insight and narcissistic personality traits.