Narcissistic Traits Shape Religious Motivation, Perception of God, and Divine Entitlement, Study Finds

Three cross-sectional studies published in *Personality and Individual Differences* examined how four narcissism facets—agentic, antagonistic, neurotic, communal—relate to religious motivation, coping, and divine entitlement. The research team, Julia Tokarz, Pawel Lowicki, and Marcin Zajenkowski, recruited Polish university students, primarily Roman Catholics: 150 participants in Study 1, 242 in Study 2, and 148 in Study 3.

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Earlier surveys reported inconsistent links between narcissism and religiosity, with some showing higher narcissism among believers and others finding no association. Applying the three-factor model of narcissism, the authors sought facet-specific patterns.

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All narcissism facets predicted an extrinsic religious orientation, indicating faith used for social or emotional gain. Agentic and antagonistic traits were positively associated with viewing God as punitive; antagonistic scores correlated negatively with positive religious coping. Neurotic narcissism showed no significant coping link. In measuring divine entitlement (“God owes me”), agentic, antagonistic, and communal narcissism were positively related, but only agentic and communal remained independent predictors after controlling for overlap.

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The results suggest narcissistic individuals may pursue religion for self-serving purposes, adopt a controlling image of deity, and feel especially favored in the eyes of God. This challenges the assumption that religious involvement is inherently intrinsic and highlights narcissistic motivations that could shape communal faith practices.

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Tokarz noted the study does not establish causality, emphasizing that the cross-sectional design limits inference. She described the work as identifying external motivations behind religious participation and called for broader research that tracks individuals over longer periods to test these patterns across cultures.

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The authors acknowledged reliance on questionnaires, a sample confined to Polish, predominantly Catholic university students, and a gender imbalance favoring women, all of which restrict generalizability to other religious traditions.

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Prior literature reported both positive and null correlations between narcissism and overall religiosity. While this study clarifies facet-specific links, it leaves unanswered whether similar dynamics exist in other religious traditions.

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• “What drew my attention was that although research on trait narcissism has been growing rapidly, we still know relatively little about how it relates to religiosity,” — Julia Tokarz, Doctoral Candidate

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• “We cannot say clearly that people with narcissistic traits are either more or less religious overall,” — Julia Tokarz, Doctoral Candidate

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• “They may also be more likely to see themselves as especially favored in the eyes of God and to perceive God as more authoritarian or controlling,” — Julia Tokarz, Doctoral Candidate

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• “One important limitation is that our studies were conducted in a Polish, predominantly Catholic context,” — Julia Tokarz, Doctoral Candidate

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Future work will expand samples to diverse religious traditions, conduct studies that track individuals over longer periods, and employ experimental studies to assess causal pathways.

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