THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN NARCISSISM, RIGHT-WING AUTHORITARIANISM, SOCIAL DOMINANCE ORIENTATION, AND BELIEF IN THE WORLD AS A COMPETITIVE JUNGLE WITH THE PROPENSITY TO TOTALITARIAN IDEOLOGY: DIRECT AND INDIRECT EFFECTS OF NARCISSISM
THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN NARCISSISM, RIGHT-WING AUTHORITARIANISM, SOCIAL DOMINANCE ORIENTATION, AND BELIEF IN THE WORLD AS A COMPETITIVE JUNGLE WITH THE PROPENSITY TO TOTALITARIAN IDEOLOGY: DIRECT AND INDIRECT EFFECTS OF NARCISSISM

Summary/Abstract: This study examined whether dark personality traits, negative affect, right-wing authoritarianism, social dominance orientation, belief in a dangerous world, and belief in the world as a competitive jungle predict the tendency toward totalitarian ideology when sociodemographic factors are controlled, as well as the relative contribution of each predictor. The aim was to propose a comprehensive model for explaining totalitarian tendencies. A non-probabilistic sample of 187 participants of both genders completed the following questionnaires: the Totalitarian Political Ideology Scale (TPI), Short Dark Tetrad Scale (SD4), Positive and Negative Affect Schedule (PANAS), Right-Wing Authoritarianism Scale (RWA), Social Dominance Orientation Scale (SDO), Belief in a Dangerous World Scale (BDW), and Belief in a Competitive Jungle World Scale (BCJW). Relevant factors were first identified using product–moment correlations and hierarchical regression, followed by path analysis. The results showed that elements from both subsystems of Duckitt’s Dual Process Motivational Model (DPM) significantly predicted totalitarianism: RWA on one side and group-based dominance (SDO-D) with BCJW on the other had robust effects. These findings support the application of integral DPM in this context. Additionally, narcissism exerted both direct and indirect effects; its positive indirect effects operated through BCJW as a simple mediator and via a serial mediation pathway in which BCJW and SDO-D were sequential mediators. This underscores the central role of BCJW in explaining the mechanism and reinforces the need to expand Duckitt’s model to include personality factors, especially when addressing specific prejudices and ideologies. The study’s limitations are discussed, and the implications for future research are outlined.

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