Ethnic collective narcissism of students: Security issues

Abstract

Collective narcissism has become increasingly prevalent among students, raising concerns about their spiritual and moral state. Young people are strongly influenced by the propaganda of international extremist organizations, which skillfully amplify narcissistic tendencies. This makes it particularly relevant to study manifestations of narcissism among youth of various ethnic groups in relation to their values. Younger generations are experiencing a cultural shift from traditional values to a greater emphasis on self-expression values. Ethnic collective narcissism is connected with prejudice against ethnic minorities and immigrants, and numerous studies have demonstrated that collective narcissism predicts antiSemitism, sexism, and racism. Sexism and racism are forms of prejudice that affect not only a desire for recognition of superiority within one’s own group, but also a drive for interpersonal dominance. We conducted a study among university students in Rostov-on-Don (Russians, Armenians) and Dagestan (Avars, Lezgins). The methods included the Collective NarcisS. Schwartz adapted by V. N. Karandashev, and the Ethnic Identity Types Questionnaire by G. U. Soldatova and S. V. Ryzhova. The level of ethnic collective narcissism was statistically significantly higher among students of Russian and Avar ethnic groups, falling within the above-average range. The average ranks of the most preferred values in ethnic groups were approximated by four motivational blocks: ‘benevolence’, ‘security’, ‘universalism’, and ‘achievements’. Strong correlations of collective narcissism with such types of student values as ‘tradition’ and ‘security’ were observed, as well as moderate correlations with ‘conformity’ and ‘independence’.