Narcissism, Exploitative Attitudes, and Academic Dishonesty: An Exploratory Investigation of Reality Versus Myth

Abstract

Renewed interest in the effects of narcissism in the media has generated a closer examination of the phenomenon. This coupled with an increase in academic misbehavior among both high school and university students has provided an opportunity to scrutinize the effects of narcissism on attitudes toward academic dishonesty. The authors investigated this relationship and the presence of intervening variables such as academic entitlement and exploitativeness. The results indicate that the relationship between narcissism and academic dishonesty may be mediated by exploitative attitudes.

Keywords:

• academic dishonesty
• academic entitlement
• exploitative attitudes
• narcissism