The need to belong is one of the most fundamental and well-researched human motives. The need to belong is a‘‘strong desire to form and maintain enduring interpersonal attachments.’’ Researchers contend that this need can account for much of the research on interpersonal behavior. This Need to Belong Scale is the most recent and empirically sound of the current need to belong measures.

Paulhus and Williams (2002) called attention to the ‘Dark Triad’, a constellation of three conceptually distinct but empirically overlapping personality variables. The three triad members - machiavellianism, narcissism and subclinical psychopathy, often show differential correlates but share a common callousness. To tease apart the triad members, Paulhus and Williams (2002) initiated a program of research to evaluate the degree of distinctiveness of the Dark Triad, both conceptually and empirically. That initial work has stimulated many others to conduct their own research, as is evident...

The impostor phenomenon refers to people who are objectively competent but feel the opposite and therefore fear being unmasked. In light of the strength and pervasiveness of the self-esteem motive, the impostor phenomenon presents an enigma because so-called impostors appear to lack this fundamental tendency for self-enhancement. According to previous work, impostors experience discomfort when they succeed, attribute their successes to factors other than their ability, and deny they are as competent as their behavior seems to indicate (Clance, 1985; Clance & Imes, 1978; Harvey &...