The Effect of Leader – Follower Narcissism on Cohesion in Sports Teams
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.35469/ak.2026.563Keywords:
narcissism, leader and follower relationships, sports teams, task and social cohesion, admiration and rivalry, moderationAbstract
Background: The study investigates the effect of leader-follower narcissism on cohesion in sports teams, with a focus on narcissistic admiration and rivalry. Narcissism, generally marked by self-centredness, a desire for status, and devaluation of others, has a significant impact on team dynamics. It examines four hypotheses formulated from the Narcissistic Admiration and Rivalry Concept (NARC), proposing that the positive or negative relationship between athlete narcissistic admiration or rivalry and task and social cohesion may be moderated by varying levels (high or low) of coach narcissistic admiration or rivalry.
Methods: A total of 217 athletes participated, providing self-reports and informant assessments on narcissism and team cohesion, using questionnaires based on narcissistic admiration and rivalry questionnaire (NARQ), the group environment questionnaire (GEQ), as well as moderated regression analysis.
Results: The analysis demonstrated that coach narcissistic admiration acts as a moderator and mitigating factor in the relationship between athlete narcissistic admiration and task and social cohesion, offering partial support for both the first and second hypotheses. However, both athlete and coach rivalry significantly reduced both task and social cohesion, with no moderating impact between the two, therefore rejecting the third and fourth hypotheses.
Conclusion: These findings extend the narcissistic tolerance hypothesis, indicating that narcissists may collaborate more effectively with individuals who share comparable characteristics, particularly in terms of admiration, while rivalry remains generally detrimental. This study highlights the importance of managing narcissistic dynamics within sports teams. It provides helpful insights for leaders and sports coaches, demonstrating that coach narcissistic admiration may promote cohesion, while rivalry impairs it.
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