The Mediator Role of Aggression In Relationship Between Narcissism and Pro-sociality: A Variance-based Model

Having a healthy society depends on the prosocial behavior of its people, so it is important to understand the factors that affect these behaviors. The aim of this study was to investigate the variance-based model of the mediating role of aggression in the relationship between narcissism and prosociality in university students.

The research design is descriptive-correlational. The statistical population of the study included 7589 students of Islamic Azad University in 2023, and 341 people participated in the research using combined sampling method (The first stage is cluster random and the second stage is available). The questionnaires of narcissism (Raskin and Terry, 1988), aggression (Zahedifar, 2000), and prosocial personality battery (penner, 2002) were used to collect data. Data analysis in the framework of structural equation modeling using Smart P. L. S 3.2.8 software was done.

The results showed that the general research model fits well with the data. The findings showed that the direct effect of narcissism on aggression and the direct effect of aggression on the prosocial personality (P<0.01) and the indirect effect of narcissism on prosociality is significant (P <0.05).

The results have implications for the conceptualization of narcissism, the importance of the mediating role of aggression, and improving the understanding of prosocial personality. Therefore, considering the confirmation of the mediating role of aggression in the relationship between narcissism and prosocial, programs for training and reducing their aggression can be considered to reduce narcissism and increase prosocial in students.