Narcissism and motivation for the pastorate

Abstract

This article describes an empirical study of the relationship between narcissism and motivation for the pastorate. Narcissism has been a key concept in the psychology of personality in recent decades, in an age in which personal life has acquired central status. Motivation is a vital concept in the study of how pastors function. Narcissism may explain part of the dynamics behind motivation for the pastorate. Several types of motivation for the pastorate and dimensions of narcissism are distinguished. In the case of motivation for the pastorate, these are a Christian way of life, anthropocentric altruism, anthropocentric egoism, and theocentric egoism, and in the case of narcissism, these are centripetal narcissism, centrifugal narcissism, isolation, and self-satisfaction. The meaning of the relationship between motivation for the pastorate and narcissism for stress and burnout is discussed.