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Full text release has been delayed at the author's request until May 10, 2027

ETD Abstract Container

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Maintenance of the Inflated Self-Image: Leader Narcissism and Foreign Policy Decision-Making

Harden, John Patrick
http://orcid.org/0000-0002-5075-2417
http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1650053783176957

Abstract Details

2022, Doctor of Philosophy, Ohio State University, Political Science.
Can an individual's personal goals impact a state's foreign policy? Grandiose narcissism provides a pathway to understanding how personality can impact a leader's preferences, decision-making, and foreign policy behavior. More narcissistic leaders will focus their efforts on maintaining their inflated self-image rather than on furthering their political survival prospects or state interests. I argue that to maintain their inflated self-image, narcissistic leaders will act-out opposite their political circle's reputation in foreign policy, behave dramatically during international conflicts, and engage in more Great Power conflict. This dissertation evaluates these claims by using a variety of quantitative and qualitative methods. Survey experiments with a general population sample are used to find micro-foundational support for hypotheses. Case studies and statistical analysis are used to investigate grandiose narcissism's impact on United States presidents' foreign policy decision-making and behavior from 1897-2008. Analysis finds that grandiose narcissism, a dispositional leader-level variable, is related to the frequency of international conflict, behavior during international conflict, and the targets of international conflict.
Richard Herrmann (Committee Chair)
Christopher Gelpi (Committee Member)
Randall Schweller (Committee Member)
Amy Brunell (Committee Member)
276 p.
International Relations; Personality; Personality Psychology; Political Science; Psychology; Social Psychology
Grandiose Narcissism; Leaders; Presidents; Individual Differences; Personality; Political Psychology; International Conflict; International Security; Great Powers; Signaling; Bargaining; Reputation; Self-Image; American Foreign Policy; Foreign Policy; Decision-Making; Narcissistic Admiration and Rivalry

Recommended Citations

Citations

  • Harden, J. P. (2022). Maintenance of the Inflated Self-Image: Leader Narcissism and Foreign Policy Decision-Making [Doctoral dissertation, Ohio State University]. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1650053783176957

    APA Style (7th edition)

  • Harden, John. Maintenance of the Inflated Self-Image: Leader Narcissism and Foreign Policy Decision-Making. 2022. Ohio State University, Doctoral dissertation. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center, http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1650053783176957.

    MLA Style (8th edition)

  • Harden, John. "Maintenance of the Inflated Self-Image: Leader Narcissism and Foreign Policy Decision-Making." Doctoral dissertation, Ohio State University, 2022. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1650053783176957

    Chicago Manual of Style (17th edition)

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This open access ETD is published by The Ohio State University and OhioLINK.