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The University of Southampton
Psychology

Research project: Narcissism and Empathy

Currently Active: 
Yes

The aim of this research is to advance scholarly understanding of declining empathy levels in the general population, in the context of narcissism - a personality variable that is rising in the population and is associated with low empathy. Empirical evidence has consistently shown that empathy is vital in endorsing and upholding social harmony between individuals, promoting prosocial behaviours, and inhibiting antisocial behaviours. Therefore, a decline in empathy levels has potential negative connotations for society. Understanding individual differences in empathy better will help to identify ways to mitigate its decline.

Using cutting edge methods, we explore why narcissists lack empathy, examine whether empathy underlies narcissists’ personal failures, and examine whether we can mitigate narcissists’ lack of empathy.

Related research groups

Centre for Research on Self and Identity (CRSI)
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