The Relationship of Narcissistic Symptoms with Exercise Behavior in Young People

Abstract

Objective: The aim of this study is to examine the relationship between narcissistic symptoms and exercise behavior in young people. Methods: This study is a cross-sectional study conducted on a sample of university students. 108 associate degree university students participated in the study. Narcissistic Personality Inventory was used to assess narcissistic tendencies in the study, and Exercise Behavior Change Stage Questionnaire was used to assess the exercise behavior change stage. SPSS 25 program, Independent Groups t Test and Pearson Correlation Analysis were used to evaluate the study findings. Results: Narcissistic tendencies were found to be statistically significantly higher in second graders than in first graders (p=0.05). It was found that the application levels of those who attach importance to health news were high, and the application level of health news was positively correlated with exercise behavior tendencies. It can be said that the higher the narcissistic tendency level, the higher the exercise behavior. In addition, it was seen that narcissistic tendencies were statistically significantly positively and moderately correlated with the exercise behavior change stage (p=0.001, r=0.303). Conclusion: It can be said that the tendency to exercise is higher in university students with high narcissistic tendencies and that narcissistic tendencies are higher in university students with high tendency to exercise. Personality traits may be effective on exercise decisions.