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What Do Narcissists on Reddit Talk About? : An Exploratory Text-Mining Study
Stienen, R.J. (2025) What Do Narcissists on Reddit Talk About? : An Exploratory Text-Mining Study.
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| Abstract: | The concept of vulnerable narcissism has largely been neglected in research, although it is recognized as an important part of Narcissistic Personality Disorder (NPD). Since insights into the real-life experiences and emotions of vulnerable narcissists are missing, the subreddit r/NPD was investigated. It was hypothesized that primarily vulnerable narcissists would post on this subreddit which is meant for narcissists who want to talk about their problems and get support. Using a text mining approach, the current study aimed to uncover what (vulnerable) narcissists on r/NPD talk about and which sentiments/emotions they express. Data consisted of 809 top-rated posts. The most prevalent topic was ‘Frustration with Relationships’ (21.6% of posts), followed by five more topics discussing emotional struggles, isolation, narcissistic traits, trauma, and recovery. The average expressed sentiment was negative. Sadness was the discrete emotion primarily expressed (60.07% of posts). Difficulties with interpersonal relationships was the central theme discussed across topics. One topic revealed that the stigmatization surrounding narcissism might partly explain vulnerable narcissists’ experiences of isolation. Additionally, the predominance of the emotion sadness presents a novel finding. Future research utilizing Large Language models on a variety of social networking sites could provide further insights into the experiences of vulnerable narcissists. |
| Item Type: | Essay (Master) |
| Faculty: | BMS: Behavioural, Management and Social Sciences |
| Subject: | 77 psychology |
| Programme: | Psychology MSc (66604) |
| Link to this item: | https://purl.utwente.nl/essays/107727 |
| Export this item as: | BibTeX EndNote HTML Citation Reference Manager |
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