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Correlational Study
| Published: November 15, 2025
Vulnerable Narcissism and Moral Disengagement in Revenge-Seeking Behaviours Among Women
Research Student, Amity Institute of Psychology and Allied Sciences
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Professor/Center Head of Counselling Psychology, Amity Institute of Psychology and Allied Sciences
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DIP: 18.01.098.20251304
DOI: 10.25215/1304.098
ABSTRACT
Revenge-seeking behaviours are a complex manifestation of individual personality traits and cognitive processes, particularly in gendered social contexts. This study examined the relationship between vulnerable narcissism and revenge-seeking behaviours among women, with a focus on the mediating role of moral disengagement. Using a quantitative, survey design, data were collected from 225 female participants aged 19–30 through standardized instruments. Statistical analyses, including Pearson’s correlations and Hayes’ PROCESS mediation model, revealed that vulnerable narcissism was positively associated with both moral disengagement and revenge-seeking behaviours, with moral disengagement significantly mediating this relationship. Regression further confirmed that both predictors significantly influenced revenge tendencies. The findings highlight how women high in vulnerable narcissism may justify vengeful actions through cognitive mechanisms that reduce moral accountability. This research advances understanding of gendered aggression and offers implications for interventions promoting healthier conflict resolution strategies in women.
Keywords
Covert Narcissism, Moral Disengagement, Revenge-Seeking Behaviour, Vulnerable Narcissism, Women
This is an Open Access Research distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (www.creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any Medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
© 2025, Barwal, V. & Sharma, R.
Received: May 12, 2025; Revision Received: November 10, 2025; Accepted: November 15, 2025
Article Overview
ISSN 2348-5396
ISSN 2349-3429
18.01.098.20251304
10.25215/1304.098
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Published in Volume 13, Issue 4, October- December, 2025
