Narcissistic consumption in athletes: parallel mediation of brand evangelism between narcissistic personality and hedonic consumption attitude
FRONTIERS IN PSYCHOLOGY, cilt.17, 2026 (SSCI, Scopus)
- Yayın Türü: Makale / Tam Makale
- Cilt numarası: 17
- Basım Tarihi: 2026
- Doi Numarası: 10.3389/fpsyg.2026.1773459
- Dergi Adı: FRONTIERS IN PSYCHOLOGY
- Derginin Tarandığı İndeksler: Social Sciences Citation Index (SSCI), Scopus, IBZ Online, Linguistic Bibliography, MLA - Modern Language Association Database, Psycinfo, Directory of Open Access Journals, MLA International Bibliography
- Çanakkale Onsekiz Mart Üniversitesi Adresli: Evet
Özet
Introduction: Narcissistic personality traits have increasingly been associated with identity-driven and pleasure-oriented consumption patterns. In sport contexts, where visibility, achievement, and symbolic recognition are highly salient, personality-based motivations may be closely linked to consumer attitudes. Although prior research has examined the relationship between narcissism and hedonic consumption, limited attention has been given to the psychosocial mechanisms that connect these constructs within athlete populations. This study examines whether brand evangelism mediates the association between narcissistic personality and hedonic consumption attitude in sport, while also investigating whether its subdimensions function symmetrically or asymmetrically in this mediation process. Methods: Data were collected from student-athletes (N = 338; 175 women, 51.8%; 163 men, 48.2%). Validated Turkish versions of the Narcissistic Personality Inventory, Brand Evangelism Scale, and Hedonic Consumption Attitude in Sport Scale were administered. Psychometric adequacy was evaluated through exploratory factor analysis (EFA) and first-order confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) (chi(2)/df = 2.03; RMSEA = 0.055; CFI = 0.931). Mediation analyses were conducted using SPSS 27 and PROCESS Model 4 with percentile bootstrap confidence intervals to estimate indirect associations. Results: Narcissistic personality was positively associated with brand evangelism (b = 0.628, p < 0.001) and hedonic consumption attitude (total effect b = 0.656, p < 0.001). When brand evangelism was included in the model, both evangelism (b = 0.412, p < 0.001) and narcissism (direct b = 0.397, p < 0.001) remained significant, indicating partial mediation (indirect effect b = 0.259; 95% CI [0.154, 0.370]). In the parallel mediation model, both propaganda (b = 0.145; 95% CI [0.084, 0.216]) and attachment (b = 0.116; 95% CI [0.048, 0.194]) emerged as significant mediators, with a total indirect effect of 0.261 (R-2 = 0.401). Importantly, the indirect effects of propaganda and attachment were relatively comparable in magnitude, suggesting a symmetrical mediation pattern across the two subdimensions. Discussion: Interpreted within the framework of ERG theory as a conceptual motivational lens, the findings suggest that growth-oriented and relatedness-oriented tendencies associated with narcissism may be linked to hedonic sport consumption through identity-expressive brand processes. The results further indicate that the propaganda and attachment dimensions operate as distinct mediating pathways rather than uniformly contributing mechanisms. By identifying brand evangelism as a psychosocial mechanism connecting narcissistic tendencies with hedonic consumption attitudes in sport, this study extends personality-based consumption research within sport contexts and offers a more nuanced understanding of how identity-driven motivations are associated with consumer behavior.