Abstract

This study examined the mechanisms linking grandiose fantasy in pathological narcissism to anger, proposing that hostile at- tribution bias and humiliation mediate this relationship. A total of 152 adults completed a grandiose fantasy questionnaire before being randomly assigned to a social rejection (n =76) or non-rejection (n =76) condition. After the experimental ma- nipulation, participants reported their levels of hostile attribution bias, humiliation, and anger. Results indicated a significant serial mediation effect–grandiose fantasy led to anger through hostile attribution bias and humiliation, but only in the social rejection condition. No such effect emerged in the non-rejection condition. These findings suggest that individuals with heightened grandiose fantasies are more prone to interpreting rejection as hostile, experiencing humiliation, and responding with anger. This study provides new insights into the cognitive and emotional processes underlying narcissistic anger, empha- sizing the role of social rejection and its implications for psychological interventions.