Disappearing online: exploring the interplay between pathological personality traits and ambiguity in rejection.

Clinical observations and empirical findings indicate that individuals high in pathological vulnerable narcissism tend to be highly affected by negative interpersonal events, experiencing greater negative emotions, whereas grandiose individuals would tend to experience greater distress in performance-related situations. On the other hand, individuals with borderline personality are also particularly sensitive to interpersonal rejection. Ghosting is a novel interpersonal rejection phenomenon, consisting of a unilateral digital dissolution strategy where an abrupt communication interruption is perpetrated using technological channels to disengage from a relationship. However, no studies investigated how narcissistic and borderline traits may shape individuals’ reactions to ghosting. Methods In a randomized two-wave experimental study, we tested psychological reactions to ghosting in a sample of 604 young adults (mean age = 22.35 ± 2.75). Participants completed measures of borderline and vulnerable and grandiose narcissistic traits at the baseline. In the experimental session, participants were asked to identify with a scenario describing an experience of direct break-up or ghosting. Participants were randomly assigned to one of the two conditions. Following the experimental manipulation, measures of negative emotional states and state paranoia were administered. Results Findings show that participants anticipated greater negative emotions and state paranoia in the ghosting condition compared to the direct break-up condition. Moreover, pathological personality traits significantly moderated the effect of condition on shame: the differences in shame between direct break-up and ghosting were stronger in participants scoring higher in borderline and vulnerable traits, as well as grandiose traits. Moreover, ghosting predicted higher levels of sadness only in individuals with more pronounced grandiose narcissistic traits.