The Relationship Between Narcissism and Prosocial Risk-Taking Behavior: The Multiple Mediating Roles of Status Motivation and Belongingness Motivation

Abstract Prosocial risk behavior (PRB) refers to individuals' active engagement in potentially risky behaviors to promote the well-being of others or society. Although the relationship between narcissistic personality traits and prosocial behavior has received widespread attention, the mechanism through which state narcissism influences PRB remains unclear. Based on the social motivation theory, this study investigated the effect of state narcissism on PRB among university students and examined the multiple mediating roles of status motivation and belonging motivation. A convenient sampling method was employed to conduct a questionnaire survey among 691 university students. The measurement tools included the Narcissistic Personality Inventory, the Status Motivation Scale, the Belonging Motivation Scale, and the Adolescent Prosocial Risk Behavior Scale. Data analysis was performed using SPSS 24.0 and the PROCESS macro program for correlation analysis, regression analysis, and Bootstrap mediation effect testing. The results indicated that state narcissism significantly and positively predicted status motivation (β = 0.459, p < 0.001) and PRB (β = 0.271, p < 0.001), but had a weaker predictive effect on belonging motivation (β = 0.276, p < 0.001). The mediation analysis revealed that status motivation played a significant mediating role between state narcissism and PRB (indirect effect = 0.0382, 95% CI [0.0291, 0.0487]), whereas the mediating effect of belonging motivation was not significant (indirect effect = -0.0065, 95% CI [-0.0118, -0.0021]). This study elucidated the mechanism by which state narcissism drives PRB by enhancing status motivation, providing a new theoretical perspective on the relationship between narcissism and prosocial behavior, and offering practical implications for guiding positive social behaviors among university students.