Researchers tested 163 children 10 to 13 years old for self-esteem, and then had them play in a fake video game tournament. Some were randomly selected to be "shamed." The team told that group that they were playing against poor players and that their scores would appear on a website that everyone could see. The narcissistic children in the study who felt ashamed became aggressive.
"Narcissists seem highly motivated to create and maintain a grandiose sense of self," said co-author Brad Bushman, a psychologist at the University of Michigan. This finding opposes conventional wisdom that children with high self-esteem are better at handling criticism and insults.
This study appears in the journal Child Development.
Labels: violence, self-esteem, agression
Posted By: Aspen Education Group