The Relationship Between Narcissism, Worker Relations, and Social Media Use

UNIVERSITY OF SANTO TOMAS FACULTY OF ARTS AND LETTERS
THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN NARCISSISM, WORKER

RELATIONS, AND SOCIAL MEDIA USE
AMONG TELECOMMUNICATION
COMPANY'S EMPLOYEES
IN LAGUNA
A Thesis
Submitted to
Faculty of Arts and Letters
University of Santo Tomas
In Partial Fulfillment
Of the requirements for the degree
Bachelor of Arts in Behavioral Science
By
Baniqued, Gabelle Laissa P.

Dedeles, Danyael L.
March 2019
Table of Contents
Approval Sheet 1
Certificate of Originality 2
Declaration of Originality 3
Acknowledgement 4
Abstract 5
Chapter One – Introduction
Introduction 7
Statement of the Problem 15
Review of Related Literatures and Studies 15
Significance of the Study 28
Conceptual Framework 31
Hypotheses in Conceptual Terms 33
Chapter Two – Method
Method 35
Variables 36
Research Design 38
Subjects/Sampling 39
Instruments 41
Data Gathering Procedure 46
Statistical Treatment 48
Chapter Three – Results
Results 50
Chapter Four – Discussion
Discussion 54
Other Interesting Findings 61
Limitations of the Study 66
Suggestions for Further Research 68
Recommendations 68
Chapter Five – Summary and Conclusions
Summary 73
Conclusions 77
References 83
Appendices
Appendix A: Number of Users for Each Social Media 89
Appendix B.1: Interpretation of Means of Other Findings 89
According to Age
Appendix B.2: Interpretation of Means of Other Findings 90
According to Position
Appendix C: Distribution of Instruments to the 90
Telecommunications Company
Appendix D: Consent to Use Social Networking 91
Status Scale
Appendix E: Proof of Worker Relations Scale 91
Construct Validity
Appendix F: Evidence of Recommendations Table’s 92
Applicability to the Company
Appendix G: Informed Consent and Instruments 93
Distributed by the Researchers
List of Figures and Tables
List of Figures
Figure 1. A schematic diagram showing the direction of 31

the study
Figure 2. A schematic diagram showing the revision of 52
conceptual framework based on the findings
Figure 3. Comparison of means of narcissism, worker relations 61
and social media use based on the
respondents’ age group
Figure 4. Comparison of means of narcissism, worker relations 62
and social media use based on the
respondents’ workplace hierarchy
List of Tables
Table 1. The Interpretation Guide for Narcissistic Personality 44

Inventory 40
Table 2. The Interpretation Guide for Worker Relations Scale 44
Table 3. The Interpretation Guide for Social Media Addiction 45
Scale
Table 4. The Level of Narcissism, Worker Relations and 50
Social Media Use Among The
Telecommunications Company’s Employees
Table 5. Correlation of Narcissism and Worker Relations, 51
Narcissism and Social Media Use, and Worker
Relations and Social Media Use
Table 6. Improved Worker Relations Plan 70
Table 7. Improved Work Execution Plan 71
Approval Sheet
1
Certificate of Originality
2
Declaration of Originality
3
Acknowledgement
We believe that life is a continuous progress wherein learning and
sharing one’s knowledge and experiences are limitless. Upon reaching this
milestone, we would like to express our deepest gratitude to the people
behind the success of this research.
We give our gratefulness to our thesis adviser, Mr. Gian Carlo M.
Ledesma Ph. D.cand, CIOP, CHRP, who endlessly supported us through
giving tips in academic writing and advises in times of disagreements and
uncertainties. All the lessons we learned from him contributed to our
betterment in becoming adept researchers and academic writers.
Furthermore, this study will not also become a success without the
thorough guidance of our thesis professor, Mr. John Manuel Kliatchko, Ph.
D., RPsy. His everlasting care and concerns for our progress motivated us
to accomplish every phase of this research.
Lastly, the research objectives are achieved only because of the
active participation of the respondent company and the cooperation of the
contact supervisor. We also offer our gratitude to them for giving us the
opportunity to contribute to the company's progress. We are sincerely
hoping for the success of the company, as well as for the outcomes of this
study.
4
ABSTRACT
The study investigated the narcissism, worker relations, and social
media addiction of 51 employees working in a telecommunication
organization located in Laguna. The study was launched as part of profiling
employees’ narcissistic tendencies, exploring conflicts among employees,
determining connections among the variables, and understanding the
impacts of social media to their work life. The researchers used purposive
sampling in identifying the respondents who completed three instruments
that measured the research variables namely: Narcissistic Personality
Inventory-40 by Raskin and Hall, Social Media Addiction Scale by Arslan
and Kirik, and Worker Relations Scale by Biggs and his colleagues. Data
analysis required the use of Pearson’s r and was facilitated by the
application of SPSS Software. Results showed that employees have a
normal level of narcissism (M = 13.32). The respondents tend to exhibit only
few to one particular narcissistic behavior and is/are not destructive to thy
self nor to others. Good workplace relationships are observed in the
organization as they scored a high level of worker relations (x̅ = 5.76). It is
also found that the respondents execute moderate levels of social media
addiction (x̅ = 2.95), in which they are fairly engaged in social media and
not extremely attached. Furthermore, results revealed that there are no
significant relationships among the three variables. To gain better insights
5
of the results, informal interviews were also conducted to selected
respondents. The implications to research and practice are discussed in
the study.
Keywords: narcissistic personality, social media, social media use,
workplace relationships
6
CHAPTER I
INTRODUCTION
Up until today, new fads, distinctive trends, secular cultures, and
advanced technological byproducts continue to influence the different levels
of social company and areas of human functioning. This study gives
importance to one of the most influential factors of popular culture - social
media. Some studies regard social media as a strength concerning public
awareness towards wildlife (Huang et al., 2018) and online marketing
(Dolan & Goodman, 2017). Even presidents like Donald Trump, Rodrigo
Duterte, and Vladimir Putin, together with companies like Lazada, Shopee,
and Jollibee, had successful strategies towards online advertising, public
relations, and the broadcasting of their personalities, advocacies, and
promotions. Furthermore, some studies tend to incline more on its user-
oriented effects, such as physicians’ benefits on academic pursuits (Gupta
et al., 2018) and surgery patient satisfaction (Dhar et al., 2017).
There may be a multiplicity of strengths that social media could
contribute to different aspects of the society; but looking at its more
controversial and critical side, social media addiction has also been a
colossal issue with the society, especially in terms of the norms of
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Millennials and Generation Z. Social media addiction is known as a subset
of internet addiction, dealing specifically with social networking sites. It
happens when individuals always struggle to avoid checking their status
updates, friend requests, news feed updates, etc. (Longstreet & Brooks,
2017). Lacida and Murcia (2015) even stated in their study that there is a
significant relationship between higher Facebook addiction and lower study
habits. There are even various effects by which social media use/addiction
could affect humanity negatively, including higher techno-stress levels
(Hwang & Cha, 2018), lower self-esteem, avoidant personality (Yücens &
Üzer), adolescent-parent conflict (Shah et al., 2016), and higher depression
rates (Dhir et al., 2018).
Narcissism is another variable of interest given its high possibility of
being related to social media use, since social media use includes an
individual’s capability to construct an admirable reputation online. It explains
why social media platforms can result to narcissism or attract narcissists,
and that positive reinforcement between social media use and narcissism
may result to addiction. A narcissist is publicly known as someone who has
a high sense of self-admiration, whether it be his or her physical, emotional,
or cognitive aspects. The term narcissism actually originated from the
character in Greek mythology named Narcissus, who was the son of the
river god Cephissus and nymph Liriope. The moment Narcissus saw his
8
own reflection from the water, he started to become obsessed with himself
out of his own beauty. This explains the etymology why his name was
placed as the term for labeling excessive self-admiration. Additionally, the
DSM-5 also states that a narcissist has a pervasive pattern of grandiosity
(in fantasy or behavior), need for admiration, and lack of empathy.
Semenyana (2018) also said that narcissism is due to combinations of
underlying traits and motivations. Different narcissists' underlying
motivations are heterogeneous. However, the commonality between
narcissists is the tendency to be entitled, arrogant, self-centered, and vain.
He also said that researchers noted high-scorers of narcissism to be using
two tactics in gaining social status: bringing oneself up through charm and
bringing others down through hostility. Narcissists also tend to use their
interpersonal relationships to make themselves appear socially desirable
and to seek out admiration from others, which increases their self-esteem.
In addition, narcissists develop less intimacy than the average people as
opposed to emotionally committed relationships. This can be a possible
reason why social media platforms are attractive to narcissists, for it
promotes social desirability, external source of admiration, and weak
relationship ties that may not require emotional engagement (Halpern et al.,
2016).
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The maintenance of harmonious working relationships can be vital in
keeping productive and conducive workplaces. The need to focus on worker
relations proves relevant in achieving this objective, since social media use
can be an issue in a workplace and narcissism may disrupt the relationship
between co-workers, which can further result to promulgation of company’s
social media policies. Biggs and his colleagues (2016) said that worker
relations scale has three components: individual-coworker, individual-
supervisor, and individual-company relationships. Therefore, the term is
defined by these three components and this study will make use of this as
its operational definition.
Guided by these previous studies, this research aims to shed new
perspective on the topic by focusing on the clinical and industrial-
organizational facets of social media, specifically, its relationship with
narcissism and worker relations. The motivation to execute this study was
based on relatively similar cases leading to contrasting consequences
associated to the relationship between social media use, narcissism, and
worker relations, which evoked and sparked the researchers’ curiosity for
the topic. These encounters included the comparison of two cases among
four individuals with inconsistencies regarding their worker relations and
narcissistic levels resulting from social media use.
10
The first case is about two people who are active and inactive in
social media. The active social media user, on the one hand, is very open
and outgoing while the inactive user is very private and withdrawn. Based
on their behaviors, it is clear that social media activity has a direct
relationship with their worker relations, since the active user has more
friends online and uses it as an easier means of communication with her
co-workers. On the other hand, the inactive user has fewer friends online
and in person, and shares less personal information with her co-workers
whether it is online or personal. They may differ in the number of friends
that they have, but their communication skills are both average, which is a
clear indication that the latter is not restricted by her communication
abilities. In this case, social media use is a possible factor to the active
user's successful relationship with her co-workers. Nduhura and Prieler
(2017) said that “Not only do employees engage in exchange of information
with their colleagues at work with social media, but also share diverse sorts
of knowledge with the outside world. By engaging in interactions,
employees have chances to meet new people, acquire more knowledge,
and develop new ways of knowing and contacting each other within and
beyond the company.” This specific study regarding the benefits of social
media on worker relations considerably supports the explanation behind the
active user's interpersonal relationship success and advantage over the
11
inactive user, since there must be a relationship between someone's social
media activity and worker relations.
On the contrary, the second case includes two other people who are
also active and inactive in social media. The addicted social media user is
sociable, outgoing, humorous, and chariSMUtic, while the inactive user
possesses the same traits except for humor and chariSMU. Since addiction
is the extremity of social media activity, the addicted user must also be
considered as an active user who is on a higher level. However, there must
be clarity that not all active users are addicted. The addicted user
possessed the traits of a narcissist, such as grandiosity, arrogance,
impulsivity, manipulativeness, and egocentrism, which are traits of a
narcissist (Bressert, 2018). He can be very attractive and luring at first, but
his manipulativeness and excessive egocentrism reveals through time. This
causes his workplace relationships to be lasting shorter than usual.
Additionally, his addiction to social media is becoming a positive
reinforcement to his narcissism and egoistic desires by using it as a platform
for taking the public's sympathy, attention, and admiration. Halpern, et al.
(2016) stated that there is a strong evidence of positive reinforcement
between social media activity and narcissism, which completely supports
the researcher's argument regarding their correlation. Social media do not
only seem to be an outlet for narcissists, but also a cause for the rise of
12
narcissism in our society these days by being a positive reinforcement
between selfie behavior/post likes and narcissistic personality. To elucidate
the specificity of the given context, the correlation between narcissism and
social media activity is referring only to the use of social media for the
reason of personal interests and expressions. On the other hand, the
inactive user is not narcissistic and has good worker relations that is
considerably consistent.
The general purpose in pursuing this study is to clarify the relationships
among these three variables relative to the research locale to see if there
are currently problems in the company relating to the correlation between
the three variables and provide them possible solutions. Since companies
can certainly experience these workplace issues, it is necessary to provide
solutions to some, which may also not even be noticed as problems of the
specific company that the researchers chose in this study. Remaining
skeptical towards the correlational discrepancies between the research
variables, there may also be other factors contributing to the differences in
results between high level of social media use and good worker relations,
together with high level of narcissism and poor worker relations, as
previously described. However, there shall be no haste in arriving at such
conclusions; and therefore, arrive at more consistent results through
rational and empirical means. Through these means, the study is expected
13
to validate the following relationships: high level social media use and good
worker relations, high level of social media use and high level of narcissism,
and high level of narcissism and poor worker relations. Moreover, the
objectives focused on the main source of disagreement between high level
of social media use and good worker relations, together with high level of
narcissism and poor worker relations. Furthermore, the researchers will
ascertain whether high level of social media use results to either good or
poor worker relations. In order to attain the set objectives, the researchers
obtained their samples from a Filipino telecommunications company.
Relative to the previous premises, it should be expected that this
study proves whether high level of narcissism has a significant relationship
with high level of social media use, high level of narcissism has a
relationship with poor of worker relations, and high level of social media use
has a relationship with low level of worker relations. The expected outputs
derived from this research are the mean scores of the subjects on each
instrument, the correlation (Pearson's R) of the variables, and some of the
possible factors that are specifically correlated with each variable.
14
Statement of the Problem
The present study sought to determine the relationship between the
three variables among employees of a selected telecommunications
company. The following specific questions are answered:
1. What is the level of narcissism among the employees?
2. How is the worker relations among the employees described?
3. How much do these employees engage in social media?
4. Are there significant relationships between the following:
4.1 Narcissism and Social Media Use;
4.2 Narcissism and Worker Relations; and
4.3 Worker Relations and Social Media Use
Review of Related Literature and Studies
These documents of the researches explore narcissism, employee
relations, and, most especially, the rise of social media globally. The section
covers the profile of different foreign and local studies with regard to the
variables and the association between variables.
Narcissism
Narcissism is one of the personality disorders, whereby an individual
is excessively concerned with the self. It is significant to investigate
15
Narcissistic Personality Disorder (NPD) as it influences daily interaction
between people and their environment. This subsection
encompasses on narcissism within the Philippines, the relationship
between narcissism and social media, and the relationship between
narcissism and employee relations.
Narcissism in the Philippines
Narcissistic personality may be increasing among Filipino millennials
due to social technological advancements. Philippines is one of the most
internet-active countries. Social Networking sites such as Facebook,
Instagram, and Twitter are widely used by Filipino millennials, whereby they
perceived their ‘self’ as an ‘ideal image’ through that virtual world (Bernarte
et al., 2015). The role of social media use to narcissism will be further
discussed in the following subsection.
In the study of Robertson et al. (2016), there is a significant
relationship between narcissism and self-construal, and narcissism and
power distance in the Philippines. As confirmed in the study, narcissism is
exhibited variously depending on the country’s culture. Filipinos have a
collective thinking that defines them in terms of how they relate with others
- interdependent self-construal. By this concept, social comparison would
arouse narcissism among Filipinos as they like to be complimented by
others’ judgment. Furthermore, power distance is defined as the unequal
16
gap between a powerful authority and complying less powerful individuals.
Employing this kind of relationship, narcissism would be triggered upon
possessing an exceptional power.
Social Media’s Role on Narcissism
Narcissism is associated with social media use applying three
theoretical models, as utilized in the study of McCain and Campbell (2016).
The self-enhancement model explained that narcissists engage in social
media activities as they try to reach the unrealistic standard they created for
the ‘ideal self’, and that the environment are expected to have self-affirming
feedback. The second model is the fit model. One activity in social media is
building social network, however, it promotes only the surface level of
relationship, which fits for narcissistic personalities. Grandiose narcissists
are concerned on making great impression, and usually identify themselves
in higher status than of others. They would less likely worry on having
intimate relationships as they multiply their acquaintances in social
networking sites, and that is for recognition purposes. Lastly, the trait model
of Five Factor suggests that narcissists are extroverted. Hence, they tend
to build larger number of friends or followers, in the vocabulary of social
media, and more likely to share social media content (such as status,
photos, etc.). There are also vulnerable narcissists who favor privacy, yet
they put more effort on impression management. In addition, Halpern et al.
17
(2016) stated that some of the activities of social media can be a positive
reinforcement to narcissistic behavior. Narcissists also develop less
intimacy than the average people as opposed to emotionally committed
relationships. This can be possible reasons why social media platforms are
attractive to narcissists, for it promotes social desirability, external source
of admiration, and weak relationship ties that may not require emotional
engagement.
With regard to the Filipino narcissists, negative emotions, particularly
low self-esteem, are harvested from social media. Through social
comparison, a Filipino gets envious of others’ status and activities posted in
social networking sites. Proceeding, one follows what others have shared
and it satisfies him/her when recognized, admired, or even envied, thus,
increase the narcissistic personality tendencies of a person (Bernarte,
2015). In addition, if narcissistic personality increases together with social
media use, then how do we expect narcissism to revolve among co-
workers?
Role of Narcissism on Worker Relations
In recent time, counterproductive work behaviors are being
significantly studied as they affect job performance. Based on the study of
Michel and Bowling (2013), counterproductive work behaviors are
destructive behaviors that threaten other employees or the whole company.
18
Narcissists are expected to exhibit such behavior because they tend to
express work deviance when things become unfavorable to them.
Furthermore, self-beliefs are most likely to occur among narcissists. They
also consider themselves as highly significant, thus, there are tendencies
that they become evaluative on job position, in which it must be as worthy
as themselves. They also convince themselves as superior than others.
With these factors, there is a clarity between the negative implication of
narcissism to workplace relationship.
In addition, Mathieu and St-Jean (2013) provided a brief explanation
that narcissism is associated with business intentions and leadership
emergence, but not on successful business and leadership effectiveness,
where narcissists are not successful in working with their co-employees as
leaders. Social media, being a substantial factor of narcissism, can interfere
with how it can negatively affect the personality between and the
relationship among employees. Moreover, Riggio (2011) said that it is usual
for leaders to be narcissistic since narcissistic people often possess
chariSMU, confidence, assertion, and drive for achievement, which are
some traits of an effective leader. It only becomes disadvantageous in
companies if the narcissist submits to his or her dark side. If they are not
managed properly, their lack of empathy, self-centeredness,
manipulativeness, and sensitivity to criticisms may affect their co-workers
19
negatively. For that reason, Riggio suggested that it is best to manage
narcissistic leaders to achieve their full potential in leadership.
Worker Relations
Several researches have already utilized employee relations in
association with other variables. ER is usually studied with regard in
workplace relationships, employee engagement, job satisfaction and job
performance. This study seeks to determine the status of the worker
relations in the telecommunications company and how it is associated with
narcissistic behavior and social media use. This subsection contains
different works cited that would contribute to the study’s objectives.
Worker Relations in Philippines
According to Selmer and De Leon (2003), Filipinos possess a strong
force of collective thinking wherein they consider social acceptance as a
fulfillment. Work groups are highly preferred by which Filipino employees
experience direct interaction with co-workers. Job satisfaction of Filipino
employees can be attained through team cooperation as it demands group
camaraderie. However, Filipino employees tend to exhibit absenteeism
when they perceive low team spirit. A non-relational atmosphere in the
workplace would disturb one’s productivity. Hence, the HRM system in the
Philippines was concerned on social rejection and social acceptance, as the
managers within the country try to maintain social harmony in the
20
workplace. Furthermore, since Filipinos give significance on personal
relationships, nepotism is likely to occur. This is when applicants are
presumably hired if they have personal connections in the company.
Palakasan or kakilala system is existent among Filipino companies,
whereby new employees were recommended by senior staff. This system
is favored due to its less monitoring expense. In return, entry-position
employees would commit to their obligation by not becoming deviant to the
company policies. This kind of company displays a paternal culture in which
it is highly authoritative yet nurturing to those who show loyalty.
Advantages of Social Media Use to Worker Relations
Several findings suggest that social technologies are beneficial both
to the company and employees. Ouirdi et al. (2015) stated that the sense
of cultural belonging is playing a major significance of social media use. In
addition, employee engagement and job performance are likely to increase
when employees participate in internal social networking. In exchange, the
company can be equipped with social technologies in increasing social
capital. The study of Lorenzo Bizzi (2014) showed evidence as to how social
media can improve nearly twice as likely to make better work connections
through Facebook. Deb Muller (2014) even considered social media as a
huge factor for the increase of loyalty in a company that advocates a two-
21
way communication. Internal communication will be time-efficient and cost-
efficient if the company is equipped by these social technologies.
Disadvantages of Social Media Use to Worker Relations
In terms of the legal aspects, social media use in the workplace is
quite problematic. The trouble ignites between the company’s right to
monitor the internet use and the right to privacy of the employees.
Furthermore, the risk of an employee’s career is associated with the use of
social media as it distracts the time efficiency and displays offensive
content. The company’s security can also be threatened by cyber criminals
when there is no careful use of social networking sites. HRM are also more
prone to face inappropriate exhibits of relationships through social media
(e.g. er-ee intimate relationship, PDA, sexual harassment, etc.) (Ouirdi et
al., 2015). Some studies may also find contradictory results as to other
studies arguing that social media use is beneficial to employee relations.
Rather than considering its advantage on connections between employees,
Dan Schawbel (2013) argued of social media as a causation of
complications in work relationships relative to generational gaps. In
addition, Eleana Stylianou (2017) said that it may improve interaction
between employees, but it also increases the possibility of negative
judgment, harassment, and annoyance between co-workers.
22
Withal, one possible social media disadvantage that this study is
intended to focus is its indirect effect to employee relations by adding
narcissism as a negative factor in terms of relationships between co-
workers.
Social Media Use
Social media is typically defined as the collective of online
communications channels dedicated to community-based input, interaction,
content-sharing, and collaboration (Rouse, 2016). Generally, social media
is so broad - that it has multiple and various platforms, including social
networking, blogging, microblogging, photo sharing, video sharing, and
crowdsourcing. Consequently, the researchers made use of all of these
platforms as the scope of the term social media and how it is used in this
study.
DelValle Institute stated that first, social networking is the use of
websites and applications as means of communicating formally/casually
with others, finding people, and sharing similar interests. Some examples
of these are Facebook, Google+, and LinkedIn. Second, microblogging is
the posting of very short entries and/or updates on a social networking site.
Some examples of these are Twitter and Tumblr. Lastly, photo sharing is
the publishing of a user’s digital photos and enabling the user to share
photos with others either publicly or privately. Some examples of these are
23
Instagram and Snapchat. Arriving at the main point, combining the definition
of these three platforms will be the operational definition of social media in
this study. Hence, social media is a website and/or application as means to
formally/casually communicate with others, share photos, find people,
share similar interests, and post entries whether it is long or short.
Moreover, to specify the use of social media that the researchers are
interested to understand is merely the act of engaging in social media as
means of accomplishing personal satisfaction.
Profile of Filipino Social Media Users
By 2010, Duque et al. (2017) said that Philippines was the top among
other countries in belonging to social networking sites, and that Filipinos are
the most frequent uploaders of their own photos and videos on these sites.
Furthermore, in the study of Bernarte et al. (2015), there is presently an
exceptional rise of use of social networking sites in the Philippines. The
people in the country are still known as the most frequent users of social
media and therefore, the country is labeled as “The Social Networking
Capital of the World”, wherein more than 93% of the population are web
users, particularly in Facebook. Significantly, most users are Filipino
Millennials and their normal days are more likely consumed by online
activities; thus, Filipino Millennials are more likely addicted to social media,
24
which can be a possible predictor of a higher rate of narcissism in the
Philippines.
Catipay et al. (2018) showed that students from Davao del Sur,
Philippines scored high in social media addiction. However, another study
by Lacida and Murcia (2015) showed an opposite result that some of the
students from the same province showed relatively low Facebook addiction,
which is considered as the most often used social media in the country
(Camus, 2015).
Advantages and Disadvantages of Social Media
According to UK Essays (2017), social media plays a huge role on
learning. Students are able to explore studies beyond the limited resources
in their library. Moreover, e-classrooms are introduced to benefit both
teachers and students in communicating outside the school. Social media
also contributes on the dissemination of news and events all around the
globe. Generally, social media made daily activities more efficient and
accessible. Snyder (2016) even stated that social media may help connect
people when they are far away. However, it can hinder one’s ability to focus
on what truly matters in a relationship. Moreover, social media also
increased the risks in the privacy and security of an individual. Cybercrimes
such as account-hacking, cyber-bullying, cyber-harassment, and alike are
becoming more prominent nowadays. Furthermore, addiction to social
25
media would inhibit one’s productivity and provokes various physical and
mental health disorders. Studies argue that these disorders include
depression, anxiety (Dhir et al. 2018) and narcissism (Andreassen et al.
2017).
In the business field, e-commerce has made consumption and
trading of products more convenient. For the company, social capital is
highly significant for it promotes their businesses and companies, thus,
social networking can be vital and revolutionary. However, magnifying upon
the more specific aspect of industries, employees' subsistence and
socialization within the premises plays a major role at the company's
performance; and because some studies argue that social media can
improve employee relations, but increase in narcissistic behavior (which
can ruin interpersonal relationships for being a part of the Dark Triad
Personality: Narcissism, Machiavellianism, and Psychopathy), then there is
a confusion between its advantage and disadvantage when it comes to its
use within industrial premises.
Assessment of the Review
The reviewed studies suggest that the level of narcissism may be
increased among Filipino workers especially when they are recognized for
something they achieved. Narcissistic behaviors, such as grandiosity or
being self-absorbed, also result to poor workplace relationship. The thought
26
of ‘I am far more worthy than others’, despite the position, is a thinking of a
grandiose individual that destroys workplace harmony. Social media,
proceeding, provokes those narcissistic tendencies due to the activities it
offers, for example, posting one’s achievement for them to be congratulated
by his/her social media friends. Consequently, these activities can be
destructive to workplace relationships since they are more provoking the
‘social comparison’ behavior. Furthermore, the works cited for social media
use suggested that Filipinos are the top users of social networking sites,
and that they frequently interact through social media activities. Therefore,
the researchers conclude that the operational definition for social media use
is using social media, not just a leisure activity, but a day-to-day interaction
with the society, whether direct (chatting, videocalling, etc.) or indirect
(reading news, sharing photos, reacting to posts, etc.). In addition to the
worker relations, Filipino companies are prone to Palakasan system, a
system that provokes envy and jealousy towards each other that would lead
to a destructive behavior such as spreading gossips. These findings can
already give a direction to the researchers of this study, however, there are
also contrasting information found. Narcissism does not only show negative
behaviors. Self-confidence and sociability are two of the good sides of a
narcissistic personality. Social media enables the employees interact with
each other even outside the workplace. Through these positive narcissistic
27
behaviors and technological opportunities, worker relations may progress
when it comes to interpersonal communication. Given these contentions, it
remains to be seen that there are contrasting thoughts regarding the
relationship between the three variables.
Significance of the Study
Technological advancements are the trend these days. Due to high
demand of the consumers, the artificial intelligence is continuously being
upgraded and supported by almost every industry. Mobile device
companies are emerging, reinventing and developing mobile phones. As
observed by the researchers, selfie cameras and high megapixel phone
cameras, ram, processors, and storage are usually being advertised. The
presumption is that most mobile phone owners/users likes taking pictures
and as well as having phones that are able to support social media
platforms. Nowadays, such high specs can be availed in cheaper costs.
Thus, more people are becoming mobile users, to be specific, social media
users. The researchers address these realities and lay down the important
contribution of this research to various stakeholders, namely…
Millennials and Post Millennials
The precaution of frequent use of social media is one of the
contributions of the study. In this era of technological advancement, people,
28
especially teenagers and young adults, are immersed in the virtual world,
and that remarkably prolonged engagement in social media use might
provoke narcissism. The study suggests that social media can be beneficial
if used properly. The study strongly recommends that if it’s time for work or
school, social media must be least prioritized unless needed e.g. messaging
your groupmates, boss, etc. Another option is to make to-do lists to be able
to use time more effectively.
Students
The research gives an additional knowledge in studying narcissism,
social media, and employee relations. More specifically, the exploration of
the black and whites of narcissism, the influence of social media, and the
typical employer-employee relationship nowadays are beneficial to those
students who practice Human Resource Management, Psychology,
Behavioral Science, Sociology and any program that studies the dynamics
of human thinking and interaction. This may also contribute to their
researches, homeworks or any other educational activities. The study could
also be helpful if the students would facilitate events such as Behavioral
Sciences Federation Convention, Interpersonal Relations Seminar:
Professional vs. Personal, and many others.
29
Rank-and-File Employees
Studies suggest that there should be a healthy workplace
relationship as it also contributes to the employees’ work motivation and
performance. The research encourages employed individuals to practice
principled interaction with others, which includes proper communication and
self-discipline. The study also recommends employees to make to-do lists,
for them to balance their time to be more progressive, in spite of the boom
of social media. Since the rank-and-file employees have less responsibility
than their superiors, the study is also significant in lengthening the patience
of the former, when it comes to the company hierarchy and achieving their
success. The study is a reminder that workplace harmony should not be at
stake when fulfilling accomplishments. The employees should continue
performing professionalism and raise one’s concerns or ideas, if necessary,
at the right time and situation.
Managers and Supervisors
This study will serve as their guide in decoding employee relations-
related conflict. There are incidents in the workplace that may display the
non-relational climate, hence, group camaraderie fails to be exhibited.
Those in managerial positions can utilize this study in solving such conflict.
Social media use is usually practiced in the workplace and this study
provides suggestions for human resource managers in formulating better
30
social media policies in the workplace. In addition, narcissism is also known
to influence interpersonal relationships and this research may also provide
suggestions of training programs on how to achieve a healthy narcissistic
personality, hence, improve worker relations, such as Project: Healthy Me,
Healthy Employee, Monthly Workplace Relationship Evaluation, Improved
Communication Plan, and many more. This study also serves as an eye-
opener to the superiors that having a higher rank should not degrade other
employees. Group camaraderie should always be observed despite the job
positions.
Future Researches
The study limits itself on the correlational analysis between the variables.
Future researchers can be equipped with this study when they are
generating a research on cause-effect relationship of the variables and with
greater sample size.
Conceptual Framework
This section contains the visual and descriptive representation of the
concepts of the study and how the researchers seek the relationships
between the three variables.
31
Narcissism
Supervisors,
Managers, and
Rank-and-file
Employees of a
Telecommunicati-
ons Company
Worker Social Media

Relations Usage
Figure 1. A schematic diagram showing the direction of the study.
Figure 1 provides an illustration interconnecting the three variables
around the research’s respondents—supervisors, managers, and rank-and-
file employees of the telecommunications company. The figure gives an
information as to how will the relationships between the three variables be
studied. It was stated in the Review of Related Literature and Studies that
there is a connection between active social media use and good employee
relations; thus, this study will validate that relationship by correlating the two
variables. Next, there is also clarity in the said studies that social media use
rises together with narcissism. This is also one objective of the study by
correlating narcissism and social media. Lastly, if some studies would argue
that social media is a benefitting factor to employee relations, but has a
positive correlation between narcissism, which could negatively affect
32
employee relations, then this study will also validate the correlation between
the two variables. Hence, all these correlations surround the state of every
respondent, wherein each of the variables will be measured for every
respondent and will be analyzed what correlation lies among their individual
results.
Hypotheses in Conceptual Terms
The following hypotheses are tested at .05 level of significance.
H01 : There is no significant relationship between narcissism and worker
relations.
H11 : There is a significant relationship between narcissism and worker
relations.
H02 : There is no significant relationship between narcissism and social
media use.
H12 : There is a significant relationship between narcissism and social media
use.
33
H03 : There is no significant relationship between and worker relations and
social media use.
H13 : There is a significant relationship between worker relations and social
media use.
34
CHAPTER II
METHOD
This chapter covers the specifics of the study's procedures. These
include the dependent variables, research design, subjects, sampling
technique, instruments, data gathering procedure, and statistical treatment.
In terms of the dependent variables, each of their scientific and operational
definitions will be stated. The research design is described by what the
nature of the study is and how will it be concluded. Furthermore, the reason
behind why the researchers chose this specific type of design will be
explained and justified. In addition, there is a portion in this chapter where
the researchers provide information about the inclusion criteria and the
actual size of the samples. Hence, the sampling technique will be
elucidated. Moreover, the researchers mention the three different
instruments that will be used in this study as data gathering tools. Each of
the instruments and how the researchers plan to gather data is elaborated
in this chapter, as well as the statistical treatment.
35
Variables
The study has three dependent variables namely: social media use,
worker relations, and narcissism. The researchers will discuss about the
variables in this aspect of the thesis.
The contrast between an active and inactive user will be equated
with highly experienced and unexperienced in this study. Social media
addiction is a kind of internet addiction, which happens when individuals
spend too much time on social media and have the desire to be notified of
anything immediately. In addition, the Kirik et al. (2015) said that it should
already be considered as an addiction when the use of internet has become
too excessive that it begins to ruin daily, social, and working life. This
definition was used for the Social Media Addiction Scale by Kirik and his
colleagues, which is the instrument used in this research and consists of
items that measure one’s affection, behavior, and cognition towards social
media. There are also three different perspectives concerning how social
media addiction can be explained: cognitive-behavioral model, social skill
model, and socio-cognitive model. However, this study only makes use of
the socio-cognitive model, which states that addictive social media behavior
is due to the expectation of positive outcomes from social media use,
combined with internet self-efficacy and deficient internet self-regulation,
which causes virtual tolerance, virtual communication, and virtual problem.
36
Behaviors that force a person into these actions are considered as social
media addiction (Sahin, 2018).
Shifting to the second dependent variable, worker relations, Biggs et
al., (2016) said that it has three components, namely, the relationships that
an employee has with his or her co-workers, supervisor, and the company,
which can be considered as the definition of the variable. This study will also
make use of the instrument constructed by Biggs and his colleagues by
measuring the said three components. Cavestany and Padilla (2018) said
that worker relations can also be defined as the study of relations between
employees, with their employers, so as to find ways to resolve conflicts and
improve productivity within the company.
For the last variable, which is narcissism, DSM-5 stated that
Narcissistic Personality Disorder (NPD) is a pervasive pattern of grandiosity
(in fantasy or behavior), need for admiration, and lack of empathy,
beginning by early adulthood and present in a variety of contexts. Moreover,
this study will make use of Narcissistic Personality Inventory 40 (NPI-40),
which was an instrument developed by Raskin and Hall in 1984 (Kubarych
et al., 2004), to measure narcissism among subjects. Hence, the factors of
the said instrument will be the basis for how this research will define
narcissism.
37
The NPI-40 has seven components: authority, self-sufficiency,
superiority, exhibitionism, exploitativeness, vanity, and entitlement. A
person with a narcissistic personality is expected to score high in these
components. This means that a narcissist is considered to believe that he
or she has power and authority over others, has no need of help from others,
and is more superior to others. A narcissist also takes profit or advantage
by cynically using others, wants to be noticed and be the center of attention,
has excessive pride in one's own qualities and capabilities, and has the
belief that he or she has enough importance to be treated uniquely and
specially.
Research Design
The researchers applied a quantitative approach in this study. It is
highly suitable in this study for the reason that the variables are highly
measurable, and require valid and reliable instruments in order to be
assessed; wherein, the scores that result from the data gathering using
these instruments can be correlated based on their numerical values and
through statistical procedures. The three dependent variables, which this
study intends to measure, already exist in the real world and only requires
mundane realism for accomplishment of the research purposes.
38
The research design of this study is descriptive-correlational. It is
correlational in nature since it is non-experimental and infers relationship
among the variables rather than provide conclusions regarding their causes
and effects (Boone, 2014). This study only circulates around how each
variable connect with one another and that connection does not necessarily
provide an explanation pertaining to the cause-effect relationship between
the variables. Therefore, experimental design is not necessary. However,
numbers alone could not determine the reasons behind the outcome and
may just expose the values needed to validate or invalidate the research
hypothesis. Hence, it is appropriate to provide a descriptive aspect to this
study, so that the given explanations may postulate the depths of the nature
of and the connection between each variable if there may be. Its descriptive
nature lies in describing the possible factors of their correlation through the
means of citing other studies and interviewing research subjects.
Subjects/Sampling
The target sample size of this research is 51 employees that work in
the specific telecommunications company. That value came from the results
in calculating the sample size (n) using Slovin’s formula together with the
values N=59 and e=.05. Since the purpose of the study is to diagnose
possible problems within the company that relate to the research variables
39
and provide them solutions, setting the sample size of 51 will not be a
generalization problem relative to the population size of 59. The inclusion
criteria of this study specifies only to workers of the specific
telecommunications company that is located in Laguna. This company has
only six branches in Laguna: Calamba, Santa Rosa, San Pablo, Biñan,
Santa Cruz, and Los Baños. These employees must also be social media
users to meet the research objectives in order to see the relationship
between social media use, worker relations, and narcissism since the
researchers needed to interview respondents who have actual knowledge
and experience of different social media platforms. Therefore, the
researchers ensured each probable if he/she is a worker of the specific
telecommunications company, since some of their workers are hired by an
agency and does not qualify in the specificity of individual-company
subscale of Worker Relations Scale, and a social media user to determine
whether he/she is qualified to be a participant in the study. If a probable
respondent does not meet both criteria, then he/she is automatically
disqualified from being part of the study.
Purposive sampling technique is used in this study. It is a non-
probability sampling that is intended to select based on the characteristic of
the population relative to the objectives of the study. The decision of the
researchers upon gathering the data requires the said criteria and a group
40
of people within the workplace that certainly experience socialization with
one another. As for that reason, the researchers obtained samples from
different departments within the company.
Instruments
Three instruments were used to assess the research participants,
namely: Narcissistic Personality Inventory 40 (NPI-40), Social Media
Addiction Scale (SMAS), and Worker Relations Scale.
To measure the narcissistic personality trait, the researchers used
the Narcissistic Personality Inventory (NPI-40) developed by Raskin and
Hall (1984). It is a 40-item inventory that applies a forced-choice technique,
whereby the respondents will be given two statements for each item and
will select one statement that best reflects their personality. The researchers
would also like to clarify that the inventory is not a diagnostic tool for
Narcissistic Personality Disorder, rather, it only measures normal or
subclinical behaviors of narcissism. Its subscales are authority, self-
sufficiency, superiority, exhibitionism, exploitativeness, vanity, and
entitlement. Aumaro and Castronuevo (2016) used this instrument to gather
data and measure narcissism in the Philippines and stated that the internal
consistency reliability (Cronbach's alpha) of NPI-40 is .83, which is a value
within the range of what is considered as a valid instrument.
41
Regarding the social media use, the researchers tested the foreign
scale Social Media Addiction Scale (SMAS) within the local context to
measure its reliability through performing a pilot study to 20 respondents. It
consists of three subscales: affective, behavioral, and cognitive. Cronbach's
alpha was used to measure its reliability and the result for each was .74 for
affective, .82 for behavioral, and .74 for cognitive, and .87 for total. Arslan
and Kirik (2013) constructed this scale and it consists of 25 items that
measures the social media addiction level of each subject, equivalent to the
current study, the level of social media use. Examples of questions are "I
connect with my friends using Facebook and Twitter." and "I wonder
whether my friends read my posts." The instrument applies an agreement
Likert-scale type of response style.
Concerning the worker relations variable, the researchers used
Worker Relations Scale constructed by Biggs et al. (2016) as the instrument
to measure the worker relations variable among employees. The scale has
three components: individual-coworkers, individual-supervisor, and
individual-company relationships. In 2018, student-researchers of
University of Santo Tomas tested the 20-item instrument to a sample size
of 157 employees in a local government company and confined it to nine
items. Cronbach's alpha was also used to measure the reliability of this
instrument and the result of each subscale was: Individual .74, Supervisor
42
.79, and Company .72, which are all within the values of what is considered
as a reliable instrument (Cavestany & Padilla, 2018).
When it comes to answering and scoring, the SMU variable used a
Likert scale and the answers for all items are summed; hence, the total is
the SMU level of the respondent. Same procedure applies to the WR
variable. On narcissism, the NPI contains 40 pairs of statements, wherein
each pair has one narcissistic statement only. Scoring for each item will be,
0 = Not Narcissistic; 1= Narcissistic. All responses that are equivalent to
one are summed, hence, the total score for the respondent's level of
narcissism. If the respondent scored 20 and above, the level of narcissism
is high; when scored 16-19, the level is borderline; scores 11-15 are normal;
scores 0-10 are considered low level of narcissism. The basis of the
interpretation for narcissism comes from the local study of Amurao and
Castronuevo (2016). While the NPI-40 requires the mean score, Worker
Relations Scale and Social Media Addiction Scale necessitate the weighted
mean score. The researchers constructed the interpretation guides for
Worker Relations Scale (WRS) and Social Media Addiction Scale (SMAS)
𝑛𝑜. 𝑜𝑓 𝑠𝑐𝑎𝑙𝑒𝑠−1
using the equation: . The interpretation guides for each
𝑛𝑜. 𝑜𝑓 𝑠𝑐𝑎𝑙𝑒𝑠
instrument are presented in Tables 1, 2, and 3.
43
Table 1
The Interpretation Guide for Narcissistic Personality Inventory 40
MEAN LEVEL OF NARCISSISM DESCRIPTIVE INTERPRETATION
19.01 – Above High Exhibits narcissistic behaviors

Likely has the tendency to exhibit some
15.01-19.00 Borderline
narcissistic behaviors
Occasionally exhibit few to one narcissistic
10.01-15.00 Normal
behavior
0.00-10.00 Low Exhibits little to none narcissistic behavior
Table 2
The Interpretation Guide for Worker Relations Scale
WEIGHTED LEVEL OF WORKER

DESCRIPTIVE INTERPRETATION
MEAN RELATIONS
Most likely exhibits good worker relations.

6.17-7.00 Very High
Interpersonal conflicts are less likely to occur.
More likely exhibits good worker relations.

5.31-6.16 High Interpersonal conflicts occur, but are solved
immediately.
Likely exhibits good worker relations.
4.45-5.30 Moderately High Interpersonal difficulties often occur and may
take time to be solved.
Good worker relations is observed. Arising

3.59-4.44 Average interpersonal conflicts are moderately solved
and unsolved.
Likely exhibits poor worker relations.
2.73-3.58 Moderately Low Interpersonal conflicts occur occasionally and
sometimes solved.
More likely exhibits poor worker relations.
1.87-2.72 Low Interpersonal conflicts often occur and are
less likely solved
Most likely exhibits poor worker relations.
0.00-1.86 Very Low Interpersonal conflicts constantly occur and
are least likely solved.
44
Table 3
The Interpretation Guide for Social Media Addiction Scale
WEIGHTED
SOCIAL MEDIA USAGE DESCRIPTIVE INTERPRETATION
MEAN
Rarely to none use of social media is

0.00-1.80 Low exhibited and is highly detached from social
media
Rarely to often use of social media is
1.81-2.60 Moderately Low exhibited and is likely detached from social
media.
2.61-3.40 Average Use of social media is well-balanced.
Use of social media is becoming more
3.41-4.20 Moderately High
frequent.
One is extremely engaged and attached to
4.21-50 High
social media.
An interview was conducted to further support numerical data. The
researchers established a standard interview questionnaire to properly
compare or contrast interviewees’ responses. Follow-up questions were
asked only for clarifications. The standard interview questionnaire contains
the following:
1. What is your typical interaction with your co-workers? How is your
relationship with your managers, supervisors, and rank and file
employees?
2. Do you interact with them in social media? In what way? What are other
activities you do in social media?
3. What do you know about narcissism? Does that apply to you? To your
coworkers?
45
Data Gathering Procedure
The researchers conducted the survey in all branches of the
telecommunications company located in Laguna, Philippines. Three
instruments and a robotfoto were given by the researchers to a supervisor
in the company. The researchers also informed the supervisor about how
to conduct the test. The first condition was that the questionnaires must only
be distributed to workers that qualify from the inclusion criteria. The second
condition was to never explain anything to the participant about any item
and the participant must answer an item based on how he/she understands
its statement. Third condition, the participant must not answer any other
participants' questionnaire. Fourth condition, the participant must answer
the questionnaire as soon as he/she receives it and pass it as soon as
he/she finishes it. Fifth condition is to ensure honesty in the conductor (the
supervisor herself) and the participants to accomplish the goals of this
research ethically. Furthermore, the supervisor distributed these
questionnaires to 51 workers in the company within a week while
considering the said conditions for taking the test. Moreover, each subject
answered their questionnaires as soon as they received it and returned it to
the supervisor as soon as they accomplished. By the end of the week, the
researchers collected these 51 questionnaires from the supervisor and
manually checked each paper to compute for each of their scores.
46
In addition, the ethics for this procedure must also be taken into
consideration. If the only requirement for assessing the subjects are three
instruments measuring three different variables, then the subjects must
have a consent concerning the instruments beforehand, containing the
information about the test materials, so that they have the knowledge of
what they are about to engage themselves into. This is, in Layman's term,
a sense of asking for permission if the subject allows the researchers to
assess him/her with these specific instruments. Hence, each subject must
sign the informed consent as a form of approval that he or she agreed to
participate in the study. The inclusions of information within the consent are:
statement of choice (explaining that test-taking is voluntary), purpose of
research, benefits of research to the society, contact information of the
person responsible for testing concerns, and subject's right to
confidentiality.
The researchers also interviewed four randomly and two purposively
selected respondents. One of the two purposively selected respondents
was interviewed for the purpose of clarifying if the research
recommendations are not yet practiced in the company and if they are
capable to put it into practice. The interviewee works in the company’s
Human Resources Department. Please refer to appendix J for his response.
Although, the names of the sender and receiver of the electronic mail are
47
covered for the purpose of confidentiality based on the agreement between
the researchers and the contact person. The remaining interviewees were
interviewed for the purpose of gaining a deeper understanding regarding
their results. The researchers interviewed four out of five workers through
call and the remaining worker did not put his contact number in the
questionnaire. The supervisor told the researchers that he could only be
contacted through electronic mail, which is why it was the means used by
the researchers to contact the remaining respondent.
Statistical Treatment
All scores for each variable are recorded and encoded in the SPSS
(Statistical Package for the Social Sciences) software. Pearson's r is
applied to be able to determine the relationship between the variables.
Narcissism will be variable N, worker relations will be variable WR, and
social media use will be variable SMU. Correlation procedure will be as
follows: N and WR; N and SMU; WR and SMU.
In addition, descriptive statistics, such as mean, weighted mean, and
standard deviation, are used before analyzing and correlating the gathered
data – to determine the respondents’ level of narcissism, worker relations,
and social media use. This summary serves as the primary basis for the
analysis, providing enough clarification for the presupposition of the actual
48
correlation and interpretation of data. This sub-aspect of the statistical
treatment contains the description of values gained from the data gathering.
49
CHAPTER III
RESULTS
This chapter contains the principal findings of the study that are to
address the problems stated in the first chapter. The results were obtained
through the data gathering procedure elaborated in the second chapter. In
addition, the descriptive results of other interesting findings are also
enumerated.
Table 4
The Levels of Narcissism, Worker Relations, and Social Media Use
Among the Telecommunication Company’s Employees
M x̅ Std. Interpretation
N 13.24 0.33 4.74 Normal
WR 51.84 5.76 8.86 High
SMU 73.80 2.95 16.94 Average
Note. N=Narcissism; WR=Worker Relations; SMU=Social Media Use; x̅ =
weighted mean; M = mean; Std. = standard deviation
The table presents the means, as well as the weighted means, of the
variables. The first column contains the variables of the study. The first row
contains the cell statistics. Referring to Table 1, the mean of narcissism
belongs within the range of normal (10 < M < 16). Therefore, the level of
narcissism of the respondents are considered normal. The weighted mean
50
scores (x̅) of worker relations and social media use determines the
interpretation of the respective variables. It is found that the weighted mean
of worker relations of the respondents is considered a high score (Refer to
Table 2), while their social media use is considered average (Refer to Table
3).
Table 5
Correlations of Narcissism and Worker Relations, Narcissism and Social
Media Use
Variables Being Correlated r Interpretation
Narcissism – Social Media Use -.048 Very Weak
Social Media Use – Worker

-.113 Weak
Relations
Narcissism – Worker Relations -.052 Very Weak
Note. r = Pearson’s Correlation
The table presents the correlational statistics of the three variables.
The first column and the first row contain the variables of the study that are
being correlated. Second column specifies the elements of the correlation
test. It is seen that the relationship is not significant between Narcissism
and Worker Relations. It is also found that there’s no significant association
between Narcissism and Social Media Use. The relationship between
Worker Relations and Social Media Use is also not significant.
51
Figure 2. A schematic diagram showing the revision of conceptual
framework based on the findings.
Figure 2 shows the changes in the diagram that was presented in the
conceptual framework. These changes are based on the findings of the
study. The legend is provided below, associating weak inverse relationship
with red lines, very weak inverse relationship with orange lines.
Furthermore, the figure shows that there are inverse relationships between
the three variables. Moreover, the relationship between social media use
and worker relations is only weak. However, there are very weak
relationships between narcissism and social media use, and with narciss
ism and worker relations. Despite these slight relationships, the results still
show that there is no significant relationship between the three variables,
which means that their relationships may still less likely reveal in different
52
situations. The specifics of these results will be discussed in the following
paragraphs.
53
CHAPTER IV
DISCUSSION
This chapter covers the researchers’ explanations and analyses of
the results, as well as the outcomes of other studies related to this thesis.
The limitations of this study’s findings are also presented in this section.
Moreover, this portion also includes the researchers’ recommendations and
suggestions that are based from the outcomes of this study, which are
dedicated for the readers’ applications and for the future research
endeavors. Additionally, there are other essential findings in this study
presented in this chapter that can provide useful information to the readers.
Table 4 presents that the employees exhibit normal narcissistic
behavior. This means that they do not extremely show the factors of a
narcissistic personality—superiority, grandiosity, self-absorption, etc.
According to the interviewed respondents, at least on their perspective,
there’s no crab mentality in the workplace. No worker that wanted to take
advantage his/her superiority over others. In fact, group camaraderie and
equality are present in their workplace atmosphere. One of them even
mentioned that she worked there for years and she always treat everyone,
including new employees, fairly. But of course, one clarified that the
54
employees should respect the superiors and seniors and that
professionalism must be observed. Their normal narcissistic behavior may
be operationally described as one of the interviewee’s response—he likes
to be complimented and credited for his contribution—which is also
supported by the results of NPI-40. Statements such as “I will be a success”,
“I like to take responsibility for making decisions”, “I think I am a special
person” and “I like to be complimented”, are four of the most scored items.
Going back to the study of Robertson et al (2016), a collective group,
including Filipinos, likes to be complimented because they usually based
their success over the praise of others. This means these respondents like
to be complimented, not to show off their achievements, instead,
compliments are affirmations of their success. In fact, these most scored
items in NPI-40 are about executing self-positivity and fulfilling one’s victory.
Therefore, the researchers concluded that the employees of this company
are executing the few factors of narcissism and are not destructive to the
self nor to others.
Furthermore, the company’s worker relation is astounding as they
scored high (See Table 4). As mentioned earlier, their interpersonal
interaction is not much a difficulty. Their daily interaction includes discussing
about work-related matters. During break periods, they also talk about
personal topics. One of the interviewees mentioned that at work,
55
considering that they follow the chain of command, there is still group
coordination. The same interviewee even mentioned that they treat each
other as brothers/sisters when outside work, despite that they only meet
twice or thrice a week because of the nature of her job. The researchers
also asked if the interviewees also experience conflicts at work. The latter
replied that, normally, there are work-related problems but they always find
solutions immediately through interpersonal conversation. Personal or non-
work-related problems are less likely to occur in the workplace. Based on
one of the interviewees and the results of Worker Relations Scale, positive
workplace relationship is valued in the company. The researchers learned
that the workers in the company, regardless of age, position and length of
service, treat each other equally and respectfully.
Social media, considering that the respondents are average users
(Refer to Table 4), is not a hindrance in creating a peaceful workplace
relationship. The respondents are divided when it comes to social media
use. There are very few who rarely use social media. There is also a
recognizable portion for, average, moderately high, and high scorers. The
robotfotos of the respondents show that the most application used is
Facebook, including Facebook Messenger (Refer to Appendix D). It is
widely used for communication inside and outside work. The researchers
asked the interviewees “In what way do you interact with co-workers in
56
social media?”. The interviewees responded when at work, they used the
platforms only for work-related concerns. When they are at home,
sometimes they message each other for work-related matters (tasks,
reminders, assignments for the following work days, etc.), and sometimes
they also chat about non-work-related things. They also scroll, view or react
over coworkers’ posts. Hence, the researchers concluded that the
respondents are not extremely attached to social media. They only engage
in social media activities for leisure and for communication.
Table 5 shows that there is a very weak inverse relationship between
narcissism and social media use, which means the level of social media use
may slightly increase as the level of narcissism decrease. Based from the
results, there is no significant relationship between the two variables and
H01 should not be rejected. Since there can be multiple purposes and
reasons behind someone’s use of social media, it is fallacious to state that
a social media-addicted person’s activities in the platform always support
narcissistic behavior. Halpern et al. (2016) even stated that only some social
media activities can be a positive reinforcement to narcissistic behavior.
That is why the telecommunications company employees’ social media use
may have a very weak inverse correlation with narcissism, which shows that
most social media addicted users in the company may somewhat engage
more in activities that are not positive reinforcements to narcissism.
57
However, the researchers’ interpretations do not justify that someone’s
engagement in a social media activity, which is known to be a positive
reinforcement to narcissistic behavior (e.g. excessive posting of selfies and
boasting statuses), automatically means that the user’s level of narcissism
increases as well. The influence of a specific social media activity, whether
it be a positive reinforcement to narcissism or not, to a person is still relative
to that person’s intention and perception, as well as the frequency in doing
it. Moreover, in the study of Robertson et al. (2016), it was stated that there
is a significant relationship between narcissism and self-construal, as well
as in narcissism and power distance. Since Filipinos practice collective
thinking as part of their culture, that explains why Filipinos usually define
themselves from how they relate with others. Based from this, social
comparison would clearly arouse narcissism among Filipinos through
excessive need of admiration, and even though social media platforms
increase the chances of this phenomenon, the results of this study imply
that other factors of social media use may have overlapped this since its
relationship with narcissism is very weak and inverse.
Looking at it in a different angle, social media activities may also
attract a narcissist’s interests because a narcissist develops less intimacy
than the average people, and social media platforms promote social
desirability, external source of admiration, and weak relationship ties that
58
may not require emotional engagement (Halpern et al., 2016). The previous
statement may be true, however, it should not be concluded that the
majority of social media-addicted employees in the telecommunications
company have high levels of worker relations, based from the results of this
research. The stimulant of an employee’s social media use may range from
seeking of entertainment to raising of public awareness, which are not often
positive reinforcements to narcissists at all. These same reasons weigh
more in encouraging social media users to be addicted with the specific
application than in inviting narcissists to satisfy their egoistic desires.
Meanwhile, social media use and worker relations show weak
inverse relationship, which means that worker relations may decrease as
social media use increase to an extent. Since the researchers have
previously stated that narcissism is not a primary concern in social media
use, it is erroneous to say that narcissism is, at least, an indirect factor of
the inverse relationship between social media use and worker relations.
Snyder (2016) said that social media use may make communication easier,
but it hinders our ability to focus on what truly matters in a relationship,
which is the same thing as devaluing relationship itself. This can be one
reason why frequent social media use may, to a degree, disconnect some
people for reducing the chances of meaningful relationships than to actually
bind them. There can also be other factors related to social media that may
59
have been the reasons behind minor poor worker relations including
depression, anxiety (Dhir et al. 2018), negative judgment, harassment,
annoyance (Stylinao, 2017), invasion of privacy, and preoccupation of
gadgets. Since the inverse correlation is just weak, then the result justifies
that there is no significant relationship between worker relations and social
media use, and H02 should not be rejected. Hence, the weak inverse
relationship only shows that the level of worker relations may only less likely
decrease as the level of social media use increase, yet it is more probable
than having both variables increase together. Moreover, the result indicates
that there are various other factors besides social media use that influence
worker relations.
The result shows that there is a very weak inverse relationship
between worker relations and narcissism. In this case, H03 should not be
rejected since there is no significant relationship between the two variables.
Riggio (2011) said that narcissistic workers can both be beneficial and
detrimental to the company. It is only a matter of maintenance that could
help narcissists to become successful and productive leaders, since they
possess the characteristics of an effective leader, such as: charisma,
confidence, assertion, and drive for achievement. If these narcissistic
workers are not maintained well, they may reveal their dark sides. Mathieu
and St-Jean (2013), and Michael and Bowling (2013), stated that it is
60
expected for narcissists to become ineffective in leadership and threatening
to the company. Relating these studies to the results of this research,
narcissism will not be an issue within the company if it is well-managed.
This is the reason why the results show that narcissism neither increase nor
decrease as worker relations increase or decrease. However, the very weak
inverse correlation show that it is somewhat more likely for narcissism to do
more harm than good in a company.
Other Interesting Findings
While Chapter III has shown the main findings of the study, in this
section, the researchers also enumerated other relevant findings that may
contribute to other related studies and may help future researches.
Figure 3. Comparison of means of narcissism, worker relations and social
media use based on the respondents’ age group.
61
The graph shows the variables’ mean scores of each age group,
namely, the Millennials (18-34), the Generation X (35-50), and the Baby
Boomers (51-69). It is seen that Generation X scored the highest in
narcissism (M=13.78, Std.=4.8), Millennials and Baby Boomers are almost
equal with their respective mean scores of 12.81 and 12.75, and their
respective standard deviations, 4.11 and 5.61. Generation X remained the
highest scorer for worker relations (M=53.13, SD=6.75). Baby Boomers
(M=51.17, SD=8.16) ranked the second, followed by the Millennials
(M=50.50, SD=11.89) Millennials scored highest in social media use
(M=78.00, SD=17.31). With the mean score of 75.96, Generation X followed
(SD=17.88), while the Baby Boomers ranked least with a significant gap
from the other age groups (M=64.08, SD=12.82).
Figure 4. Comparison of means of narcissism, worker relations and social
media use based on the respondents’ workplace hierarchy.
62
Narcissism is scored highest by those supervisory employees
(M=14.58, SD=4.93), although, managerial group is not much far from the
supervisory (M=13.00, SD=5.37), as well as rank-and-file employees
(M=11.63, SD=3.85). Similar with narcissism, the mean scores in worker
relations between positions are also close, supervisory is running first
(M=53.88, SD=8.87), followed by the managerial group (M=50.13,
SD=9.61), then, rank-and-file employees (M=50.00, SD=8.45). Additionally,
in terms of social media use, rank-and-file group has the highest mean
score (M=78.74, SD=16.2) while the managerial group ranked second and
distant from the former group (M=72.50, SD=16.00). Supervisory group
ranked the least (M=70.33, SD=17.54).
The results have matched with the study of Duque and colleagues
(2015), stating that the millennials are the most active social media user in
the present time. Although, the inverse relationship of social media use and
worker relations seems to be present due to the rankings of their means,
however, it shall not be concluded that it is significant. The millennials may
be ranked the least in worker relations, but their score is, in fact, high (Refer
to appendix E.1). It is also noticeable that the baby boomers are not too
much active in social media. The researchers suggest that the reason why
they are not as active as the millennials and generation X is because baby
boomers were not born in the age of modern technology. They are usually
63
unwelcome to new and more sophisticated technology. Moreover,
nowadays, prior to the researchers’ experiential observation, older
employees assumed that millennials are narcissistic because they are
highly goal-driven to success and promotion. However, the results show
that millennials are the least though all generations show normal narcissistic
personality (Refer to appendix E.1). This could mean that all of the
employees are just spreading positivism at work.
It may sound cliché but the results have shown that there are higher
narcissistic tendencies on supervisory and managerial positions than rank-
and-file employees, although they scored high on worker relations. In
addition, Riggio (2011) stated that narcissistic people have the traits of an
effective leader, such as confidence and assertiveness. This suggests that
the narcissistic personality they portray is not harmful to the work relations,
as interpreted, supervisory and managerial employees show normal
narcissistic personality (Refer to appendix E.2). For instance, the supervisor
is confident that his team will be a success because they all worked hard.
This is not an act of arrogance. The supervisor should be confident so that
he will be able to boost his team. That confidence is considered normal as
it also motivate others. Furthermore, the sense of self-fulfillment intervenes
with narcissism, since NPI-40 consists of items like “I will be a success” and
“I am going to be a great person”. Also, the item “I like to be complimented”
64
may be interpreted as “I like to be complimented because it is an approval
that I did a good job, hence, boosts my confidence”. In conclusion, people
should not always assume that those in managerial and supervisory
positions are narcissistic and unfriendly.
In an individual-specific perspective, this case has caught the
attention of the researchers. Two respondents, both are in the supervisory
level, are showing significant contrast of personalities. One scored low in
NPI-40 while the other is in borderline. The former has great worker
relations and the latter scored moderately low. As to being engaged in social
media, they scored moderately low and moderately high, respectively. The
first one was interviewed through e-mail to further support his results. He
mentioned that that he rarely uses social media applications. He contacts
his co-workers only through company e-mail platforms and table telephone.
He personally believed that social media addiction will ruin employee
performance. Although, he clarified that using social media at minimal time
by urgency and important matters, it will not ruin the employee performance.
Contacting this certain respondent may be less convenient, however, his
relations with his coworkers is not in trouble. Meanwhile, the opposing
respondent has more interesting results. She is the only respondent who
scored in the ‘low’ classification in worker relations, the rest are average
and above. The researchers tried to interview this certain respondent. She
65
did answer the call with anticipation or excitement but she was expecting
for one of the companies she applied for―she asked “Anong company ito?
Marami kasi akong inapplyan”. When the researcher clarified that the call is
about the current study, she immediately responded she was busy. Her
response could mean that the she is either recently separated from the
company or is currently looking for another workplace. In addition, the
researchers speculated that she is not satisfied working in this study’s
respondent company. The researchers failed to interview her to support her
answers in the survey. This discovery does not intend to represent the
whole population nor to generalize the study’s findings, although, the
researchers recommend future researches to provide an in-depth study
regarding these opposing respondents, more particularly, the second one.
Limitations of the Study
The limitations of this study revolve around issues related causality,
generalizability, sampling and instruments used.
• This study does not provide an explanation regarding the cause-
effect relationship for each pair of variables. This thesis can only
provide an explanation for the relationship between the three
variables since it is correlational. A study will be more detailed and
informative if it could provide an explanation on how a variable
66
affects the other through cause and effect, which this thesis cannot
prove.
• The limitations in sampling and generalizability are intertwined
because the researchers only gathered data from a sample size of
n=51 relative to the population size of N=59. This study focuses on
assistance for a specific company and it cannot be generalized to the
public. The results of this thesis can be more useful if extended to a
larger population, especially if the millennial and z generations are
immensely engaged in various social media platforms.
• The problem with the data gathering in this research is that majority
of the participants are part of the generation x, which is a generation
that is less likely to participate in social media activities for purposes
of self-interests compared to more recent generations.
• Instruments also lack the actual meaning for range of scores. The
researchers of this study made some improvements on the
instruments’ application. The researchers improvised descriptive
interpretations for each scale to be able to determine the differences
of each range.
67
Suggestions for Further Research
The researchers are only able to explore the quantitative findings of
the study, and focused on the relationship of the three variables, however,
insignificant. The researchers of this study suggest that the future
researchers should also apply the qualitative approach for an in-depth
perspective. The latter should also conduct on a greater size of sample with
a wider variation (e.g. rank positions, race, different companies and
industries, etc.) since the current study lacks generalizability. In any case
that the future researchers found significant relationships between the three
variables of the current study, they should calculate how much the variables
greatly affect or influence each other.
Recommendations
The mean scores provided in Table 4 show that these
telecommunications company employees are within the normal range of
narcissism, high scorers in worker relations, and average scorers in social
media use. It means that the present condition of the company is healthy,
having both narcissism and social media use in moderation, while
maintaining good worker relations.
Since the results prove that there are no significant relationships

between the three variables, and that there are no issues regarding the
levels of each variable in the company, social media policies and additional
68
training programs are not necessary. However, training programs that will
maintain the present condition of the company is recommended. There are
numerous possibilities that could cause dysfunction in the company
especially if human behavior and personality are very dynamic. For that
reason, programs such as seminars about effective communication,
effective leadership, emotional intelligence, and productive social media
use, together with team building activities contributing to team camaraderie
and stress management will be helpful. The researchers also suggest the
avoidance of negative prejudice towards a co-worker who is addicted to
social media and is high in narcissism as incapable of forming good worker
relations. Nhudura and Prieler (2017) said that social media platforms play
a vital role in the functioning and productivity of a company since it makes
socialization and activities efficient in the workplace. Hence, social media
use must not be forbidden in the workplace as long as it does not interfere
with the work itself. Moreover, Ronald Riggio (2011) also stated that
narcissists can be effective leaders for possessing confidence, assertion,
and drive for achievement, but these narcissistic workers should be properly
managed or their dark sides may slip out. The weak inverse relationship of
worker relations and social media use, and the very weak inverse
relationship between narcissism and worker relations explain that there is a
speck of truth in stating that social media addicted and highly narcissistic
workers may deal more problems in worker relations than less addicted and
less narcissistic workers. Although, the prejudice must still be avoided since
it is very unlikely to happen based from the results. In addition, it is also
possible that workers may perceive their co-workers as narcissistic for
excessively posting selfies and self-interested statuses. The results of this
study show that this is not an issue within the company. Hence, such
prejudice must be avoided at all times. To further specify the researchers’
69
recommendations, the following tables could contribute to the practical

significance of the study.
Table 6
Improved Worker Relations Plan
Target
Initiative Description Objective Populatio Responsible Rationale
n
Annual
Team- • To lessen All Human There is a
Team- the walls employee Resource recognizabl
building
Building between s Department e age gaps
activities give
Retreat age groups between the
opportunities
for the • To build employers
stronger and
employees to
relationship employees.
function as a
s between This age
group even
old and new gap, if not
though not
employees taken into
work-related.
action,
It improves
could
their
intervene
communicati
with the
on skills and
current
increases
worker
their bond.
relations.
Yearly Socialization • To celebrate All Administrati The
Socializatio night is a team employee on respondent
n Night formal event, efforts―hel s employees
similar to ball, ps to are
wherein recognize noticeably
employees the sense of work-driven
get to meet unity due to the
their CEO, or fact that
employees they always
from other communicat
branches. It e about
is also a work.
recognition Astonishingl
night wherein y, workplace
they relationship
distribute s is great as
different team
rewards camaraderie
(Branch of is exhibited.
the Year, This effort
70
Most should be
Sociable recognized
Employee, to further
Best Dressed motivate
of the Night, them to
etc.) maintain
that good
work
relations
despite
busy
schedule.
Table 7
Improved Work Execution Plan
Target Responsibl
Initiative Description Objective Rationale
Population e
Effective • To shape Supervisor Human Good
Leadership Effective one’s s, Team Resource leadership
Training Leadership assertivene Leaders, Departmen skills among
Seminar Training ss Managers t the managers
Seminar plays • To lessen and
a vital role in grandiosity supervisors in
shaping a and the
leader’s arrogant respondent
performance superiority company as
at work. This in the they don’t
includes workplace take
proper • To be better advantage of
communicatio at handling their power.
n with co- people Maintaining it
leaders and considering is needed to
with work and continue good
members. personal life work
interference relations.
Emotional This program • To be able All Human Working
Intelligence helps in to handle employees Resource under
: How to pursuing stress at Departmen pressure
Keep It at emotional work t provokes
Work stability. The • To prevent stress. There
program will interpersona are times that
include tips on l conflicts stress affects
working under due to work their
pressure and pressure communicatio
multi-tasking. n towards co-
workers, for
71
instance
raising one’s
voice over
others
because the
former is
panicking. If
the pressure
is not handled
well, team
camaraderie
may be at
stake. Stress
also interferes
with work
performance.
Effective The seminar • To be able All Human Although the
Social educates the to use social Employees Resource respondent
Media Use workers on media Departmen employees
Program using social platforms at t are only
media at work in average users
work, balance and of social
discussing its more media, but
possible effectively there is
advantages always a
and room for
disadvantage learning the
s, as well as effective use
other of it. Learning
initiatives for those could
effective maintain good
social media team and
use per individual
department. work
performance.
72
CHAPTER V
SUMMARY AND CONCLUSIONS
The researchers provide a summary of all the contents of this
research in this chapter. It is composed of the highlights, methods, results,
and discussions of this study. In addition, the researchers’ conclusions
derived from the findings of this study are also presented in this portion.
Summary
In this aspect of the thesis, the researchers provided a recapitulation
of the main points stated per chapter in this research. It shall be an aid to
the reader in understanding the sequence and progression of the study,
which answers why it is performed, how it is performed, and what are
discovered.
The present society gives so much importance on technological
advancements, that businesses are being digitized for the purpose of
making office systems and procedures more efficient. However, social
media, as one portion of these advancements, seem to influence the quality
of relationships negatively. The idea that narcissism may have a
relationship with social media use, and that narcissism may more likely
73
cause issues between worker relations struck the researchers’ interests.
This study is pursued for the purpose of validating the relationships between
the three variables in the company and contribute to the employees’
performance. The researchers sought to answer the level of narcissism,
worker relations, and social media use, and if there is a significant
relationship between the three variables. This study is significant, especially
in a country labeled as “The Social Networking Capital of the World” with
93% of the population as web users, particularly in Facebook. In addition,
narcissists are also known to cause dysfunction in company, and if some
studies consider social media use to be a positive reinforcement to
narcissistic behavior, then the results of this study will help the company
determine whether narcissism and social media use is related to
dysfunctional worker relations, especially if it is potentially becoming
addictive to its workers. The hypotheses of this research are tested at
α=.05. The following hypotheses are: There is a/no relationship between
narcissism and social media use. There is a/no relationship between
narcissism and worker relations. There is a/no relationship between social
media use and worker relations.
Narcissism, worker relations, and social media use are the research
variables of this thesis. Moreover, the study executed a quantitative
approach, with a descriptive-correlational design, in this study by using
74
three instruments to gather data among telecommunications company
employees. The researchers gathered data from a sample size of n=51 with
a population size of N=59. These participants must be social media users
and workers of the specific telecommunications company as a qualification
for the inclusion criteria. Purposive sampling technique was used to gather
data from these workers and the instruments used to measure the research
variables among participants are NPI-40, Social Media Addiction Scale, and
Worker Relations Scale. When it comes to the data gathering procedure,
the researchers delivered the instruments to a manager of the company for
distribution among workers and explained what instructions must be given
to each participant. The researchers obtained the answered instruments
back after five days and further encoded the scores of each participant in
the SPSS software to compute for the Pearson correlation coefficient of
each pair of variables. The researchers provided descriptive statistics in this
thesis to convert the numerical results into statements. These statements
will be the bases for analyses in the discussion.
In addition, the mean scores of the three variables within the
company are narcissism=13.24, worker relations=51.84, and social media
use=73.80. These results show that the company has normal level of
narcissism, high level of worker relations, and average level of social media
use. Hence, the condition of the company is healthy based from the findings
75
for the reason that they have good worker relations while keeping
narcissism and social media use in moderation.
Since the findings of this study show that there is no significant
relationship between narcissism and social media use, the conclusions of
Andreassen and his colleagues (2017), Halpern and his colleagues (2016),
and McCain and Campbell (2016) in their studies do not support the findings
of this research because their researches suggest that there is a significant
relationship between the two variables. The researchers stated that since
there are numerous reasons behind a worker’s social media use, it is
fallacious to assume that the addiction is necessarily associated with
narcissism. In addition, the very weak inverse correlation between the two
variables show that the workers in the telecommunications company may
more likely use social media for non-narcissistic purposes.
Additionally, since social media use and worker relations are also not
significantly correlated, then the findings of Ouirdi et al. (2015), Bizzi (2014),
and Muller (2014), which states that social media use is advantageous to
worker relations, as well as the conclusions of Schwabel (2013) and
Stylianou (2017), stating otherwise, both support the results of this study.
The researchers said that social media use is not a serious issue within the
company. Social media use can both be advantageous and
disadvantageous to worker relations depending on how the user regulates
76
and uses it to connect to their co-workers. However, the weak inverse
relationship between the two variables somewhat inclines toward the
findings of Schwabel and Stylianou, that social media addiction may slightly
do more harm than good in building meaningful relationships within the
telecommunications company.
Lastly, if there is also no significant relationship between narcissism
and worker relations, and the findings of Michael and Bowling (2013), and
Mathieu and St-Jean (2013) states that narcissism is disadvantageous to
industrial settings, while Riggio (2011) concluded that narcissists are
effective leaders if well-maintained, then results of this research support
both sides again. Narcissism can be advantageous, especially in terms of
leadership, only if it is properly handled by the human resource department
and their co-workers, or it will end up ineffective and detrimental to the
functions of the company. The very weak inverse relationship between the
two variables show that narcissism may somewhat do more harm than good
in maintaining healthy worker relations relative to the telecommunications
company.
Conclusions
The main findings of this study are provided in this portion of the
thesis. These findings include all the answers to all the questions presented
77
in the statement of the problem backed up with brief explanations. This part
of the thesis will begin by giving three practical implications based from the
findings and conclusions of this research.
1. Since social media use has no significant relationship with
narcissism, relative to the research population, the company must not
consider social media use as a concern for problems that may arise from a
narcissistic personality. This is why co-workers who actively engage in
social media, including obsessive posting of selfies and posting of opinions,
must not automatically be judged as engaging in a narcissistic behavior. If
an addicted user is affected by a positive reinforcement to narcissistic
personality, it can be an opportunity for the company to mold a leader out
of it.
2. A worker that has a high level of narcissism can be an advantage
or a disadvantage to the company depending on how well the worker is
maintained. To expose the great leadership out of a worker scoring high in
narcissism, he/she can undergo effective leadership-training seminars to
enhance leadership abilities, annual team building retreat, and yearly
socialization night to enhance other important skills and relationship with
co-workers. Appointments for counseling to maintain a narcissistic person's
psychological well-being will also be a great contribution.
78
3. Social media use does not have significant relationship with
worker relations, but it may affect work performance and meaningful
relationships negatively if not regulated. Social media use policy in the
workplace is necessary and its effectiveness may vary from each
department. The sales manager, for example, need to contact his/her sales
agent through a social medium and the cashier, on the other hand, has no
necessary reason to use social media related to work. Moreover, the
personal use of social media can benefit the relationship between co-
workers and work efficiency if regulated. The researchers can only
provide awareness to the company about how social media may affect
work-related issues according to the conclusions of other researches.
The HR Department of the company must be the one to decide on the
specifics of the policies since it has complete knowledge of the company's
job positions and culture. Additionally, effective social media use seminar
can also be done to the workers of the company for the providing them
proper knowledge rather than limiting their actions in the workplace.
However, the results show that there is no problem regarding the social
media use and worker relations of the company. Even though social media
use is not a company issue yet, the suggestions of the researchers can be
applied to avoid further issues that concerns social media use.
79
Since there is no significant relationship between narcissism and
social media use, majority of the workers in the company rarely engage in
social media activities that are positive reinforcements to narcissistic
behavior. In addition, even though workers engage in social media use that
are positive reinforcements to narcissism, such as excessive posting of
selfies, the way that these platforms could influence them are still subjective
and relative to each of their intentions and perceptions in exhibiting such
behaviors.
In addition, social media use has no significant relationship with
worker relations because these platforms can be opportunities to connect
with co-workers while some social media contents may even stimulate
conversation among them. At the same time, social media use may lead to
intense preoccupation that co-workers may probably have fewer chances
to communicate personally and build relationships that are more
meaningful. Social media use can both be an advantage and disadvantage
to worker relations, but it is more likely for social media use to be a
disadvantage relative to their weak inverse correlation.
Additionally, the presence of narcissistic workers may be an
advantage or a disadvantage to a company depending on how well they are
managed. Narcissists could contribute to a company’s need of a worker that
strives for achievement, confidence, and superiority because they could be
80
effective leaders if handled and trained well. However, companies with
narcissistic workers must also be aware of the dangers that these
individuals can commit.
With regards to the levels of each variable in the company,
narcissism is not an issue since their employees’ level of narcissism is
within the normal range. Since it is within that range, there is no excess and
lack of narcissistic individuals. It means that there is no problem in having
workers who possess leadership qualities while not becoming so much
more difficult to manage for the human resource department. Additionally,
the level of worker relations in the company is high and it shows that their
human resource management is effective in terms of maintaining the
relationship between co-workers. Their present condition in worker relations
should be maintained or better, improved. Lastly, the average levels of
social media use in the company show that the workers are neither addicted
nor deficient in social media use. This means that the workers properly
regulate their use of social media. Since social media platforms are
advantageous in connecting with co-workers and culminate work efficiency,
and disadvantageous in building meaningful personal relationships, then it
is delightful to know that the telecommunications company employees
balance them well.
81
In this point in time, when businesses are increasingly automating
for the purpose of less expense and responsibility, it is necessary to bring
upon a study that advocates humanly bonds and meaningful relationships
as a competitive advantage. Companies should not be all about profit, and
creating a business setting that is beneficial and enjoyable to both the
owners and the workers can provide more value in life than money alone
does. This telecommunications company must be treated as a good
example in terms of having a healthy working condition and it must not stop
there. Improvements and advancements must continuously be produced in
terms of raising the quality of both profit and relationships, as well as the
proper maintenance of social media use and narcissistic individuals within
the company. These ameliorations do not only apply to this specific
telecommunications company, but to all existing and incoming associations.
Therefore, the findings of this study must always be kept in mind to preserve
and administer effective and efficient worker affiliations.
82
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APPENDICES
Appendix A
Number of Users for Each Social Media Application Specified
in the Robotfotos
Facebook
10
Twitter
Snapchat
47
28 Tumblr
Flickr
Instagram
6
10
11 Others (Viber, Company E-
mail, Telegram)
Appendix B
Interpretation of Means of Other Findings
B.1 Age
(x̅)
(M) Interpretatio (x̅) Interpretatio
AGE Interpretation SM
N n WR n
U
12.8
millennials Normal 5.61 High 3.12 Average
1
13.7
gen x Normal 5.90 High 3.04 Average
8
12.7 Moderately
Boomers Normal 5.69 High 2.56
5 low
89
B.2 Position
(M) (x̅) (x̅)

POSITION Interpretation Interpretation Interpretation
N WR SMU
Rank-and-
11.63 Normal 5.56 High 3.15 Average
file
Supervisory 14.58 Normal 5.99 High 2.81 Average
Managerial 13.00 Normal 5.57 High 2.9 Average
Appendix C
Distribution of Instruments to the Telecommunications Company
90
Appendix D
Consent to use Social Media Addiction Scale
Appendix E
Proof of Worker Relations Scale’s Construct Validity
91
Appendix F
Evidence of Recommendations Table’s Applicability to the Company
92
Appendix G
Informed Consent and Instruments Distributed by the Researchers
Thesis Title: Narcissism in the Workplace: The Relationship between Narcissism,

Worker Relations, and Social Media Addiction
Researchers: Gabelle Laissa P. Baniqued and Danyael L. Dedeles
Project Description:
This is a research that aims to determine the participant’s level of narcissism, social
media addiction, and worker relations. It also intends to identify connections
between and among the variables of the study in the Philippine context.
Procedure and Risks:
The participant will be given a battery of instruments and will be asked to answer
all items completely and as honestly as possible. These instruments intend to
measure the variable, which will serve as the source of data for the research study.
Anonymity of the participant will be ensured and data obtained will not
compromise one’s privacy. Furthermore, participation in this study is voluntary and
one is free to withdraw at any time.
There are no known risks associated with participation in this study.
Benefits:
This research can contribute to the development of research in the Philippines. In

addition to that, the participants, their family and friends, as well as the academic
community can gain knowledge about the relationship between the research
variables that are being explored in this research. Consequently, this study can raise
awareness of the significance of the research variables among Filipinos.
Confidentiality:
All information obtained from each participant will be treated with utmost
confidentiality. The data will be stored securely. Only the researchers and their
thesis adviser will have access to the information. No publications or reports from
this study will include the participant’s demographic information. The results of the
study will be available upon his request.
Personal Information:
93
NAME: ____________________ ______________________________

_______
SURNAME, FIRST NAME

M.I.
AGE: ____________ GENDER: _____________ CONTACT #:

_________________________
Consent Statement:
I am willing to participate in this study. I have fully understood what this research
will involve. The researchers have explained to me its purpose and objectives, data
gathering methods, the extent of my participation, and the benefits that I will derive
from my involvement.
I have not been forced or involuntarily induced to be involved. I am aware that I
can freely withdraw in participating from this study whenever I wish.
__________________________________
______________
Participant’s Signature over Printed Name

Date
Contact Information (in case of questions and concerns regarding these instruments):
Gabelle Laissa P. Baniqued Danyael L. Dedeles
E-mail Address: laibaniqued@gmail.com E-mail Address:
danyael.dedeles.ab@ust.edu.ph
Phone Number: 0933 850 3952 Phone Number: 0926 658 6669
Danyael L. Dedeles Gabelle Laissa P. Baniqued

Student-Researcher Student-Researcher
AB Behavioral Science Program AB Behavioral Science
Program
Noted by:
Gian Carlo M. LedeSMU, PhDcand., CIOP, CHRP

Research Adviser/Supervisor
Instruction: Please read the contents of each item carefully. On #1, please choose
only one among the three choices. On #'s 2 and 3, you can choose as much as you
94
could, as long as the statements before each box applies to you relative to the
given questions. You may answer this by marking a check on the box next to the
statement/s of your choosing.
1. What is your position in the company? 2. What social media applications are
you using?
Rank-and-File
Supervisory
Managerial
Facebook
Twitter
Snapchat
Tumblr
Flickr
Instragram
Others (please specify)
3. What activities do you engage in while using social media?

Posting pictures of yourself online
Posting your opinions online
Posting photos of your friends online.
Expressing feelings and emotions by posting online
Posting online the pictures of the food that you eat
Uploading images of the places that you travel to on your social media
account
Scrolling/browsing through the news feed/other people's posts
Sharing the posts of others when you are interested in them
Chatting with your friends on social media
Commenting on other people's posts
Changing your profile picture
Clicking the like/favorite button on the posts/pictures of others
Others (please
specify:
95
Mark check in the box of the number of your choosing, ranging from 5 to 1; 5
suggesting that you STRONGLY AGREE while 1 means that you STRONGLY
DISAGREE. Please answer truthfully, do not skip any item, and take your time
answering.
Items 1 2 3 4 5
1. I connect with my friends using
Facebook and Twitter.
2. I look at the photos shared on
social network profiles.
3. I search for my friends using
social networking sites.
4. I enjoy spending time in social
networking sites.
5. I want to view social networking
sites starting at early hours of a day.
6. I wonder whether my friends read
my posts.
7. I wonder who visits my personal
profile.
8. I don’t be aware of the time I
spend navigating Facebook.
9. I follow the content I am
interested in from social media.
10. I follow latest news and events
from social networking sites.
11. Social networking sites cement
my friendships.
12. I comment on the photos my
friends share.
13. I prefer social media over
television.
14. I feel that I have a poor
communication with my friends
when I don’t access Facebook.
15. I believe that social media has a
connective power.
16. I believe that new media has
changed learning habits.
17. I spend my free time surfing the
Internet.
18. I believe that social networking
sites are instructive.
96
19. I participate in events on social

networking sites.
20. I wonder who visits my personal
profile.
21. I find new friends through
Facebook and Twitter.
22. I think that I am being followed
by someone in social media.
23. I believe that new media
technologies change human life.
24. I read personal blog posts, and
search content.
25. I freely share my ideas on social
networking sites.
INSTRUCTIONS: Mark check in the box of the number of your choosing, ranging
from 7 to 1; 7 suggesting that you STRONGLY AGREE while 1 means that you
STRONGLY DISAGREE. Please answer truthfully, do not skip any item, and
take your time answering.
Items 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
1. I am valued by my supervisor.
2. A culture of harmonious
working relationships is
encouraged within this company.
3. Some co-workers are hard to
work with.
4. I find it hard to work with at
least one group of workers.
5. My supervisor respects me.
6. Positive working relationships
are encouraged within this
company.
7. I find it hard to work with my
supervisor.
8. There are certain coworkers that
I come into conflict with.
9. The company favors certain
groups or individuals over others.
INSTRUCTIONS: Choose the statement that seems closer to identify yourself; or,
if you do not identify with either statement, select the one that is less objectionable.
97
Indicate your answer by writing the letter (A or B) in the space provided on the
right of each item. Please answer truthfully, do not skip any item, and take your
time answering.
1. ______ A. I have a natural talent for influencing people.
B. I am not good at influencing people.
2. ______ A. Modesty doesn't become me.

B. I am essentially a modest person.
3. ______ A. I would do almost anything on a dare.

B. I tend to be a fairly cautious person.
4. ______ A. When people compliment me I sometimes get

embarrassed.
B. I know that I am good because everybody keeps telling
me so.
5. ______ A. The thought of ruling the world frightens the hell out of
me.
B. If I ruled the world it would be a better place.
6. ______ A. I can usually talk my way out of anything.

B. I try to accept the consequences of my behavior.
7. ______ A. I prefer to blend in with the crowd.

B. I like to be the center of attention.
8. ______ A. I will be a success.

B. I am not too concerned about success.
9. ______ A. I am no better or worse than most people.

B. I think I am a special person.
10. ______ A. I am not sure if I would make a good leader.

B. I see myself as a good leader.
11. ______ A. I am assertive.

B. I wish I were more assertive.
12. ______ A. I like to have authority over other people.

B. I don't mind following orders.
98
13. ______ A. I find it easy to manipulate people.

B. I don't like it when I find myself manipulating people.
14. ______ A. I insist upon getting the respect that is due me.
B. I usually get the respect that I deserve.
15. ______ A. I don't particularly like to show off my body.

B. I like to show off my body.
16. ______ A. I can read people like a book.

B. People are sometimes hard to understand.
17. ______ A. If I feel competent, I am willing to take responsibility

for making decisions.
B. I like to take responsibility for making decisions.
18. ______ A. I just want to be reasonably happy.

B. I want to amount to something in the eyes of the world.
19. ______ A. My body is nothing special.

B. I like to look at my body.
20. ______ A. I try not to be a show off.

B. I will usually show off if I get the chance.
21. ______ A. I always know what I am doing.

B. Sometimes I am not sure of what I am doing.
22. ______ A. I sometimes depend on people to get things done.

B. I rarely depend on anyone else to get things done.
23. ______ A. Sometimes I tell good stories.

B. Everybody likes to hear my stories.
24. ______ A. I expect a great deal from other people.

B. I like to do things for other people.
25. ______ A. I will never be satisfied until I get all that I deserve.
B. I take my satisfactions as they come.
26. ______ A. Compliments embarrass me.
99
B. I like to be complimented.
27. ______ A. I have a strong will to power.

B. Power for its own sake doesn't interest me.
28. ______ A. I don't care about new fads and fashions.

B. I like to start new fads and fashions.
29. ______ A. I like to look at myself in the mirror.

B. I am not particularly interested in looking at myself in
the mirror.
30. ______ A. I really like to be the center of attention.

B. It makes me uncomfortable to be the center of attention.
31. ______ A. I can live my life in any way I want to.

B. People can't always live their lives in terms of what they
want.
32. ______ A. Being an authority doesn't mean that much to me.

B. People always seem to recognize my authority.
33. ______ A. I would prefer to be a leader.

B. It makes little difference to me whether I am a leader or
not.
34. ______ A. I am going to be a great person.

B. I hope I am going to be successful.
35. ______ A. People sometimes believe what I tell them.

B. I can make anybody believe anything I want them to.
36. ______ A. I am a born leader.

B. Leadership is a quality that takes a long time to develop.
37. ______ A. I wish somebody would someday write my biography.

B. I don't like people to pry into my life for any reason
.
38. ______ A. I get upset when people don't notice how I look when I go
out in public.
B. I don't mind blending into the crowd when I go out in
public.
100
39. ______ A. I am more capable than other people.

B. There is a lot that I can learn from other people.
40. ______ A. I am much like everybody else.

B. I am an extraordinary person.
101

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UNIVERSITY OF SANTO TOMAS FACULTY OF ARTS AND LETTERS

THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN NARCISSISM, WORKER

Baniqued, Gabelle Laissa P.

List of Figures and Tables

Figure 1. A schematic diagram showing the direction of 31

respondents’ workplace hierarchy

Table 1. The Interpretation Guide for Narcissistic Personality 44

We believe that life is a continuous progress wherein learning and

milestone, we would like to express our deepest gratitude to the people

behind the success of this research.

We give our gratefulness to our thesis adviser, Mr. Gian Carlo M.

Ledesma Ph. D.cand, CIOP, CHRP, who endlessly supported us through

giving tips in academic writing and advises in times of disagreements and

uncertainties. All the lessons we learned from him contributed to our

betterment in becoming adept researchers and academic writers.

to accomplish every phase of this research.

Lastly, the research objectives are achieved only because of the

active participation of the respondent company and the cooperation of the

opportunity to contribute to the company's progress. We are sincerely

The study investigated the narcissism, worker relations, and social

media addiction of 51 employees working in a telecommunication

organization located in Laguna. The study was launched as part of profiling

employees’ narcissistic tendencies, exploring conflicts among employees,

determining connections among the variables, and understanding the

sampling in identifying the respondents who completed three instruments

that measured the research variables namely: Narcissistic Personality

Inventory-40 by Raskin and Hall, Social Media Addiction Scale by Arslan

analysis required the use of Pearson’s r and was facilitated by the

application of SPSS Software. Results showed that employees have a

normal level of narcissism (M = 13.32). The respondents tend to exhibit only

self nor to others. Good workplace relationships are observed in the

organization as they scored a high level of worker relations (x̅ = 5.76). It is

not extremely attached. Furthermore, results revealed that there are no

significant relationships among the three variables. To gain better insights

of the results, informal interviews were also conducted to selected

respondents. The implications to research and practice are discussed in

Keywords: narcissistic personality, social media, social media use,

Up until today, new fads, distinctive trends, secular cultures, and

advanced technological byproducts continue to influence the different levels

of social company and areas of human functioning. This study gives

importance to one of the most influential factors of popular culture - social

media. Some studies regard social media as a strength concerning public

awareness towards wildlife (Huang et al., 2018) and online marketing

and Jollibee, had successful strategies towards online advertising, public

relations, and the broadcasting of their personalities, advocacies, and

promotions. Furthermore, some studies tend to incline more on its user-

oriented effects, such as physicians’ benefits on academic pursuits (Gupta

et al., 2018) and surgery patient satisfaction (Dhar et al., 2017).

There may be a multiplicity of strengths that social media could

contribute to different aspects of the society; but looking at its more

colossal issue with the society, especially in terms of the norms of

Millennials and Generation Z. Social media addiction is known as a subset

of internet addiction, dealing specifically with social networking sites. It

happens when individuals always struggle to avoid checking their status

significant relationship between higher Facebook addiction and lower study

could affect humanity negatively, including higher techno-stress levels

Üzer), adolescent-parent conflict (Shah et al., 2016), and higher depression

rates (Dhir et al., 2018).