How Narcissistic Leaders Hold Onto Power

Someone high in malignant narcissism can make others' lives miserable with constant demands for attention, an aggressive stance toward rivals, and a lack of any moral compass. You may wonder, then, how someone with these qualities could win enough support from others to make it to the top of their particular food chain. Why would anyone want to be around these people, much less be led by them?

Why It’s Important to Understand the Toxic Narcissist

A new paper by Mei Kei Leong and colleagues (2025), from Taylor’s University in Malaysia, provides important perspectives on narcissism’s facets and its connection to toxicity in leaders. Noting that “the desire for admiration and power” drives them to “engage in more self-promotion and seek recognition than less narcissistic leaders,” the literature is less clear on whether these strategies work or not. Confidence and exuberance, great traits for leaders, can easily turn to failure when they morph into overconfidence.

You may be able to relate to these ideas if you think about someone in power whose decisions affect you, whether directly (as in a boss or friend) or indirectly (as in a politician). You shake your head in wonder as you see this person squash any opposition on their way to enacting their own desires. Why would anyone put up with this?

The answer may lie in the fact that these individuals suck power away from others, including you, making you doubt whether you can do anything to stop them. Your own recourse can start by understanding what makes them tick.

Motivation and Personality in the Narcissistic Leader

The Taylor’s U. research team believes that there are two keys to unpacking what drives the narcissistic leader. The first is based on self-determination theory (SDT), the view in motivational psychology that people are most fulfilled when they satisfy their needs for competence, relatedness, and autonomy. People high on grandiose narcissism “long for” validation and reward, but their self-centered motivations lead them to value personal over shared benefits.

Trait activation theory (TAT) provides the second set of insights. As the term implies, TAT proposes that personality traits, or enduring qualities, are triggered by situational cues. A narcissist’s needs for admiration and rivalry lie below the surface, this position argues, until something in the environment activates “the pool of self-interested behavior.”

Both TAT and SDT propose that this confluence of factors becomes the breeding ground for “deviant behavior,” meaning behavior that violates social norms. In the workplace, this takes the form of undermining, bullying, and retaliating.

Thinking again about someone you know who fits this definition, it’s possible you’ve been hurt directly by these harmful actions. Now you question your own self-worth, but as the Keung et al. study will show, it’s not you who was to blame.

The online sample of 313 adults (ages 21-61+) completed well-established measures of narcissistic admiration and rivalry, self-interested behavior, leader narcissism, and workplace deviance. Data from these measures were fit into a model in which a combination of narcissistic rivalry and admiration predicted workplace deviance and leader narcissism through the route of self-interested behavior.

The findings showed a stronger effect for narcissistic rivalry compared to admiration. In other words, narcissistic leaders become aggressive and antagonistic when they feel challenged. This helps to “safeguard their grandiose self-view.”

The toxicity of the narcissistic leader further comes into play with workplace deviance, as the findings supported the existence of this relationship as well: “Narcissistic leaders prioritize personal gains over ethical considerations and potentially foster a toxic environment.” Unfortunately, what unfolds, as you can perhaps attest to yourself, is a loosening of social norms for everyone. Why should you follow the rules when the person in charge doesn’t?

The final piece of the puzzle involves self-interested behavior. The grandiose narcissist prioritizes “personal agendas over organizational matters.” Again, everyone else can see this happening, further eroding their faith in the system.

What to Do When You’re Faced with a Narcissistic Leader

The Malaysian study may seem as though it offers little hope for anyone stuck in the maelstrom of the malignant narcissist’s toxic environment. This is particularly true if that individual maintains a hold on power by continuing to produce results. There are cases, the authors note, when people high on narcissistic admiration are charming and effective enough to get away with their manipulative and self-serving strategies. No one wants to mess with success.

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Leong et al. do offer some prospects for hope, but only if the narcissist can be nipped in the bud. People who work for such leaders should not remain silent when they are faced with “the negative characteristics of leaders, such as being cocky, corrupt, manipulative, and self-absorbed specie.” This might work in a corporate setting, but what about other spheres of life?

If this person is someone you know, it can be helpful to peel the layers back to that narcissistic rivalry. As much as you may resent the idea of having to do so, you can act in ways that perhaps reassure the person you’re not out to win.

If the person is someone like a political leader whom you can only observe from afar, there are obviously far fewer options. You can doomscroll through your social media or newsfeed all you like, but this isn’t going to get rid of them.

Instead, taking a cue from the Leong et al. study, you can perhaps draw boundaries around your own life, taking pleasure in the activities and people that make you happy. When it’s time, there are ways to take action to express your displeasure, such as voting or joining a social cause.

To sum up, it’s easy to let a narcissistic leader erode your well-being. Knowing that you have options, though, can help you glide past this on your way to fulfillment.