Narcissistic Boss Psychology: New Research Shows Gaslighting Is Just Phase 1

# Narcissistic Boss Psychology: New Research Shows Gaslighting Is Just Phase 1

> **Quick answer:** A 2025 study in the *Journal of Business Research* found narcissistic bosses systematically erode employees' sense of belonging — suppressing ideas, punishing dissent, and increasing groupthink. Gaslighting, as documented by IIM Indore researchers, is the primary tactical weapon: it operates in two phases (trivialization then emotional affliction) and measurably destroys job satisfaction. Your personality type determines how fast you notice it, and how much damage it does before you act.

If your boss takes credit for your work, you might think that's the worst of it. According to new research, that is just Phase 1. The full pattern of narcissistic boss psychology in 2026 is far more systematic — and far more damaging — than most employees realize until it is too late.

## What the New Research Actually Found

The most significant recent study comes from a collaboration between Macquarie Business School, Huaqiao Business School, and Xiamen University School of Management, published in the *Journal of Business Research* in 2025. The research focused on a group that rarely gets studied: middle managers — the people who directly supervise most employees and translate executive strategy into day-to-day work.

The findings are stark. Narcissistic CEOs quietly undermine organizations not through dramatic blowups but through a slow erosion of middle managers' organizational identity. Associate Professor Yue Wang, who led the Macquarie side of the research, put it plainly: "Narcissistic CEOs are often easy to recognize once you've worked with them — they monopolize the spotlight, claim sole credit and show little interest in other viewpoints."