The Integrated
Agency-Communion Model of Collective Narcissism: Implications for intergroup relations, conspiracy thinking, and support for the populists
Date: 1.07.2025 - now
Introduction:
This project is supported by grant awarded by Polish National Science Centre OPUS
no. 2024/55/B/HS6/00282 to Magdalena Żemojtel-Piotrowska.
In recent years, significant attention has been devoted to studying political ideologies,
intergroup relations, and the phenomenon of collective narcissism—an overly positive view
of one’s group. Our project is based on the innovative agency-communion (AC) model,
which distinguishes two types of collective narcissism: agentic (ACN), focusing on group
competence, and communal (CCN), emphasizing group morality. These types have distinct
impacts on intergroup relations and perceptions of threats, such as economic risks (realistic) or threats to cultural values (symbolic).
We will conduct studies in different countries (Poland, India, Turkey, and the USA) with
diverse political and religious traditions. Using a combination of quantitative and qualitative
analyses, we aim to understand how different forms of collective narcissism influence
prejudice, conspiracy thinking, and support for populist parties. The results of our research
will clarify the mechanisms driving misinformation acceptance and the rise of populist
attitudes, while also identifying ways to mitigate their negative effects.
OPUS grant research group:
Principal Investigator (PI):
Magdalena Żemojtel-Piotrowska, Cardinal Stefan Wyszynski University in Warsaw, Poland
Co-Investigators (Co-I):
Jarosław Piotrowski, Cardinal Stefan Wyszynski University in Warsaw, Poland
Piotr Radkiewicz, Cardianl Stefan Wyszynski University in Warsaw, Poland
Grant-founded researchers:
Bartłomiej Nowak, Cardinal Stefan Wyszynski University in Warsaw, Poland
Eryk Kowalski, Cardinal Stefan Wyszynski University in Warsaw, Poland
Magdalena Goetze, SWPS University, Poland
Research assistants:
Oliwia Stopka, Cardinal Stefan Wyszynski University in Warsaw, Poland
Kinga Arkuszewska
Advisory board:
Constantine Sedikides, University of Southampton, the United Kingdom
Kees van den Bos, Utrecht University, the Netherlands
Vassilis Saroglou, University of Louvain, Belgium
Alain van Hiel, Ghent University, Belgium
Maksim Rudnev, University of Waterloo, Belgium
Marek Robak, Cardinal Stefan Wyszynski University in Warsaw, Poland
Publications:
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Żemojtel-Piotrowska, M., Piotrowski, J., Nowak, B., Saroglou, V., Maltby, J.,
Sedikides, C., (…), Zand, F. (2026). Beyond Religious Narcissistic Identification: Agnostic
and Atheistic Narcissism. International Journal for the Psychology of Religion, in press.
Contact:
Cardinal Stefan Wyszynski University in Warsaw,
Institute of Psychology,
Cross-Cultual Psychology Centre
Kazimierza Wóycickiego 1/3, bld. 14
01-938 Warszawa