Privacy Consciousness and Narcissistic Personality

Abstract

Researchers have defined privacy consciousness as the extent of awareness regarding privacy for the self and others. This study investigated the relationship between privacy consciousness and narcissistic personality—an exaggerated sense of self-importance. University students (N=155) responded to scales assessing privacy consciousness for the self and others. Additionally, scales were employed to assesses narcissistic tendencies, including hypervigilance and obliviousness. The results indicated that participants who scored higher on hypervigilance tended to report taking actions to preserve their privacy. Moreover, those who scored higher for both obliviousness and hypervigilance were less likely to act to maintain others’ privacy.