Moral grandstanding, narcissism, and self-reported responses to the COVID-19 crisis

Moral Grandstanding as a Narcissistic Intrinsic Satisfaction

The aim of this study is to define the concept of moral grandstanding and discuss its antecedents, motivations behind it, and implications. Moral grandstanding is described as contributing to moral discourse to persuade others that one is morally respectable. Individuals who value their moral standing are more concerned about their own self than the topics that they claim to discuss. Therefore, it is likely that individuals who perform moral grandstanding may be high on the narcissistic personality trait. Although moral grandstanding can bring about reputation and fame to individuals, it can be associated with society contribution in some cases. While advertising their prosocial behavior, individuals’ true motivation may not be obvious. Thus, it is essential to understand their actual motivation for the behavior in question as well as their level of narcissism in order to understand whether the behavior is considered as an example of moral grandstanding. Pathological narcissism and the intrinsic-extrinsic motivation concept of self-determination theory were used to extend the current understanding of the moral grandstanding concept in the present study. Lastly, the real-life implications of moral grandstanding were discussed with reference to current issues like the pandemic.

Moral Disengagement, Dark Triad and Face Mask Wearing during the COVID-19 Pandemic

Not wearing a face mask, despite the sanitary recommendation, represented a public health risk during the COVID-19 pandemic. For this reason, the aim of the study was to determine the mediating role of moral disengagement in the relationship between the dark triad and face mask wearing during the second wave of the pandemic. We worked with a sample made up of 534 adults, who were administered the Dirty Dozen Dark test, the Moral Disengagement Mechanisms Scale and a questionnaire on the frequency of use of face masks. The results showed that moral disengagement mediates the effect of each trait of the dark triad (Machiavellianism, psychopathy and narcissism) on the use of face masks. It is concluded that those who possess any of the dark personality traits morally disengage in order not to use a face mask, exercising a reckless behavior of the possible contagion of COVID-19 to others.