Collective narcissism and in-group satisfaction predict different reactions to the past transgressions of the in-group

In-group identification is necessary for in-group members to take responsibility for the past transgressions of the in-group. However, even among high identifiers, the reactions to reminders of the in-group's transgression may differ depending on the beliefs members hold about their in-group. Results of a cross-sectional study (N = 441), indicate that collective narcissism (i.e., a belief that the in-group's importance is not sufficiently recognized by others) versus in-group satisfaction (i.e., a belief that the in-group is of high value and a reason to be proud of) have opposite unique associations with the evaluation of the artistic value of films referring to Polish involvement in pogroms during the Second World War (Ida and The Aftermath, a proxy of an attitude towards knowledge about past national transgressions). Collective narcissism predicted lower, whereas in-group satisfaction predicted higher, perceived artistic value of the films. Those unique relationships could only be observed when the positive association between collective narcissism and in-group satisfaction was partialled out.