Religious Leaders’ Well-Being: Protective Influences for Humility and Differentiation Against Narcissism

Document Type

Article

Abstract

The virtue of humility and the construct of differentiation have shown protective influences against narcissism among religious leaders. Our cross-sectional study tested a moderated mediation model of these protective influences on a hypothesized negative narcissism— well-being association, and negative spiritual grandiosity—well-being association. Our sample consisted of clergy candidates (N = 75; Mage = 35 years; 70% male; 90% White) receiving psychological assessment services as a part of their vocational training. Our results largely supported the proposed moderated mediation model, with evidence of protective influences for humility and differentiation. The results showed that greater humility lessened the negative influence of narcissism on well-being via differentiation and that greater humility conditioned the direct association such that greater spiritual grandiosity predicted greater well-being. Implications of the findings center on the importance of assessing character strengths and intra and interpersonal affect regulation capacity, or differentiation, among clergy candidates, and we highlight the need for continued research on client humility

Department(s)

Seminary; Counseling (M.A.); Marriage and Family Therapy (M.A.)

Publication Title

Spirituality in Clinical Practice

Volume

9

Issue

2

First Page

103

Last Page

113

Publication Date

6-3-2021

DOI

10.1037/scp0000265

ISSN

23264500

E-ISSN

23264519

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