Issue #18: The Dark Triad of Personality
Learn about narcissism, machiavellianism and psychopathy as personality traits
Dear mental health advocate,
I hope your week is treating you with kindness! Today, I have written a new edition of The Present Psychologist Paper to help raise awareness about mental health and psychology.
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And now, back to the content. I will discuss the dark triad of personality, a combination of three different personality traits that are considered to be negative and can have harmful consequences. These three are narcissism, machiavellianism and psychopathy. Want to know more? Keep on reading!
The Dark Triad of Personality
We are all different. Not just our looks and our experiences, but also our personalities and characters. Psychologists love researching and theorizing about our personality traits as they are very complex and rich. Most agree these traits in the majority of cases exist on a continuum, which means that there are different degrees possible. For example, it does not have to mean you are either introvert or extrovert, instead it could mean you are ambivert (a complete mix) or mostly introvert and sometimes extrovert. Another interesting topic is the classification of traits on the morality spectrum. Which traits are good, which ones are bad? This is a question people might have a variety of answers to.
Today’s topic actually looks at specific personality traits most psychologists consider to be more unhelpful and negative than not. These three traits are psychopathy, narcissism and machiavellianism. It is a complicated discussion, because some consider labeling these traits as ‘negative’ and their association with personality disorders as ableism. For example, a narcissistic personality disorder is an illness people struggle with and obviously would rather not have. But, at the same time these traits specifically can harm others, which is why getting help is very important. Remember, no person is only bad or only good. We all have negative and positive traits. The only thing is, that sometimes there is an imbalance.
What is this dark triad exactly?
Psychologists Paulhus and Williams were the first to coin the term ‘dark triad of personality’. They identified three particular personality traits that exist on a spectrum (which means you can have a lot of it, or a bit), which are narcissism, machiavellianism and psychopathy. These are not mental health disorders, but instead personality characteristics that people have. They are all associated with harmful behavior, as these traits lead to actions that negatively impact others. It is important to know that psychologists differentiate between these personality traits and personality disorders. For example, narcissism as a personality trait is something we all possess to a certain extent, while a disorder is a more extreme version with a diagnosis.
Individuals that score high on these traits use manipulation and other tactics to exploit people and inflate their own importance. Similarly, they also do not seem to care much if others are harmed or done wrong. Such characteristics and actions often undermine another person, and frequently causes problems in group dynamics. Especially on the work floor where people need to collaborate dark triad behavior makes it difficult to be productive. Furthermore, a person who exhibits these three traits is more likely to engage in criminal or violent activities. Narcissism, machiavellianism and psychopathy are broader categories that consist of several different types of behavior.
Dark Triad #1: Narcissism
The personality trait narcissism can best be explained as the tendency to put your own needs ahead of anyone else’s, almost all of the time. The name is based on a figure from Greek mythology who was called ‘Narcissus’. He saw his own reflection in a pond of water and fell in love with the image. Basically, he fell in love with himself. For this reason the trait is called narcissism as a person sees themselves as superior to others. Other traits that fall under narcissism are self-admiration, grandiosity, feelings of entitlement and exploiting others to gain things from it.
Dark Triad #2: Machiavellianism
This personality trait was named after a famous figure (Niccolò Machiavelli) who was a diplomat and philosopher in Italy in the 16th century. Why it was named after him was because he wrote a book called ‘The Prince’ in which he explained a philosophy that in order to get what you want you need to apply all the measures you can think of. Basically, the end goal justifies all means. People who possess this trait are seen as very good manipulators, and they use a lot of deceit to get what they want. There is an absence of morality, not showing emotions and appearing as a good and forthcoming person while actually scheming behind the scenes.
Dark Triad #3: Psychopathy
The last of the dark triad personality traits discusses psychopathy. This trait is rooted in anti-social behavior. If someone scores high on this characteristic, it means that they lack empathy and do not really take other people’s feelings into account. If someone is hurt as a result of their actions, they will not feel or show remorse. In some cases they could even enjoy seeing someone suffer. Others often perceive people with psychopathic tendencies to be emotionally cold. The difficulty is that psychopathy makes a person volatile and impulsive, so they could become dangerous and aggressive suddenly.
How to measure these traits?
A lot of research is being done on personality traits and characteristics. As it is sometimes difficult to measure, psychologists often create a scale or questionnaire to examine if someone possesses these traits. I found an interesting scale that tries to measure all three of them and wanted to share it. Psychologists Peter Jonason and Gregory Webster created a 12-item scale to indicate whether someone has machiavellian, psychopathy and/or narcissistic characteristics. They call it the ‘Dirty Dozen’. While it is a subjective self-reporting scale, I wanted to share it with you as it can help you understand these traits better:
I tend to manipulate others to get my way.
I have used deceit or lied to get my way.
I have used flattery to get my way.
I tend to exploit others towards my own end.
I tend to lack remorse.
I tend to not be too concerned with morality or the morality of my actions.
I tend to be callous or insensitive.
I tend to be cynical.
I tend to want others to admire me.
I tend to want others to pay attention to me.
I tend to seek prestige or status.
I tend to expect special favors from others.
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My name is Alf Lokkertsen and I am a psychologist and writer, creating mental health content for you. My passion is to raise awareness about topics related to psychology, as it has helped me greatly in my personal life. I strongly believe that many problems could be avoided or dealt with better if everyone had some in-depth psychology knowledge.
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That's a really good primer on the topic, easy to grasp for beginners. Great job👏🏽, looking forward to your next issue!