The narcissism of public health denialism
New research links narcissistic traits with vaccine and mask refusal
We’ve covered individualism extensively on Conspirituality. Notions of bodily sovereignty and personal responsibility serve as connective tissue between left-leaning wellness acolytes and right-leaning conspiracy theorists. Their philosophies inevitably point back at themselves: their supposed oppression and greatness both reside in the sole body.
This is especially odd considering how pervasive “interconnectedness” has been in American yoga studios over the last few decades. Likely, lip service: compassionate philosophy fails when colliding with perceived liberties.
And when it comes to public health initiatives, rugged individualists from across the political spectrum united in their disdain for public health officials.
A new article, published in Personality and Individual Differences, offers another clue into this strange intersection of allies: narcissism.
Results of MANOVA [Multivariate Analysis of Variance] demonstrated that individuals with high levels of narcissism self-reported greater levels of non-adherence to NPI, COVID disregard, COVID stress, anti-vaccination attitudes, and psychological entitlement compared to those with low levels of narcissism.
Furthermore, research shows that men with narcissistic traits self-report higher levels of non-compliance to masking and vaccines than women. Other research confirms that men generally tend to score higher in narcissistic traits, which include:
Grandiose self-importance and entitlement
Excessive self-admiration
Preoccupation with fantasies of success, power, love, and beauty
Given the impact of COVID-19, both directly (750 million infections; nearly 7 million deaths) and indirectly (long Covid; mental health issues), the authors wanted to better understand the personality traits informing the refusal to adhere to public health guidance.
The researchers are especially concerned with non-adherence to non-pharmaceutical interventions (social distancing, masking) given that those don’t require vaccinations. In truth, we’ll never know the true impact of such non-compliance in terms of infections and deaths, yet by tracking traits leading to such attitudes, we can better plot regions where infections and deaths are likely to skyrocket.
We already have data supporting this idea: Covid-related deaths spiked in Republican-governed states in much greater numbers after the vaccines rolled out.
More specifically, the researchers say, their adjusted analysis found that "the excess death rate among Republican voters was 43% higher than the excess death rate among Democratic voters" after vaccine eligibility was opened.
In terms of vaccines, the authors of the narcissism article identify four drivers of anti-vax attitudes:
Distrust in the benefits of the vaccine
Worries about vaccine side effects
Preference for natural immunity
Concerns regarding pharmaceutical company profits
They set out to answer four questions, which follow, along with the results.
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