Viewpoint

The Dark Side of Human Nature: The Dark Triad Personality

by Mahbod Ebrahimi

Graphic design by Anne Catalina McGrath

There has been an everlasting debate regarding whether humans are inherently “good” or “evil.” As many people might argue, the answer to this philosophical question is contingent on the person, and there’s no one-size-fits-all template for human behaviour. Therefore, psychologists have come up with personality traits to better understand human thoughts and behaviours. Personality is defined as the unique combination of traits that differentiate one person from another, with personality traits representing the specific dimensions along which individuals can vary.1

The best empirically validated model for determining someone’s personality is by assigning each person to the “Big Five” personality traits, commonly known as the OCEAN model with the following traits: Openness (tendency for creativity and curiosity), Conscientiousness (tendency for organization, goal orientation), Extraversion (being outgoing or sociable), Agreeableness (being tolerant, cooperative), Neuroticism (tendency for anxiety, temperamentality).2 It is important to note that people may vary considerably in these traits, making each person unique. The OCEAN model has been around for decades as one of the primary means of assessing one’s personality. 

However, in the early 2000s, two researchers, Delroy Paulhus and Kevin Williams, coined the term “Dark Triad Personality,” which could be considered an extension of the commonly known personality traits.3 In their landmark paper in 2002, Paulhus and Williams studied 245 students to explore their inclinations toward narcissism, Machiavellianism, and psychopathy. This effort to examine the offensive yet non-pathological aspects of personality unveiled a darker side to human nature, which has real-world implications and often manifests in our daily social interactions.3 

Now, take a moment and think about the following questions: Have you ever found yourself feeling manipulated, exploited, and emotionally drained after an encounter with someone? Have you ever constantly felt used for someone else’s personal gain? If you’ve answered yes to any of these questions, then you might have crossed paths with an individual exhibiting what some psychologists call a dark triad personality.3 

What is the dark triad personality?

The dark triad personality is composed of three negative personality traits: narcissism (entitled self-importance), Machiavellianism (strategic exploitation and deceit), and subclinical psychopathy (insensitivity or disregard for others). Each of these traits may mix to create a toxic combination that can manifest in one person, although they can also exist independently. It is important to note that these traits are thought to exist along a spectrum, and people might have varying degrees of each trait. People with one or more of these toxic traits tend to possess a propensity for readily exploiting others (this could be a close family member or a random stranger) without any sense of remorse as they impose harm on those around them.3 

Research has demonstrated that people with these traits are extremely manipulative and will relentlessly pursue their goals, often disregarding the well-being of those in their vicinity. On average, compared to the population mean, these people usually have difficulties understanding human emotions and struggle with feelings of compassion and empathy.4,5 The purpose behind identifying the dark triad personality traits is to shed light on the parasitic and manipulative behaviours that conventional personality traits fail to capture. Now, let’s delve deeper into the dark triad personality traits.

Narcissism: The term narcissism originates from Greek mythology, and it is based on the story of Narcissus, a handsome and arrogant hunter who falls in love and becomes obsessed with his own reflection in a pond of water, resulting in him eventually drowning.6 The story of Narcissus serves as a cautionary tale to extreme self-love, vanity, and self-obsession. In modern psychology, people with narcissistic tendencies can have grandiosity (an unrealistic sense of superiority), arrogance, a constant need for admiration and a lack of empathy for others.2, 3 In addition, people who rank high in narcissism often have an inflated sense of personal achievements, concurrently adopting a sense of superiority and entitlement over others, which could serve as a coping mechanism to mask their perceived inadequacies. 

Machiavellianism (manipulative personality): The term Machiavellianism emerged from the 16th-century Italian politician and writer Niccolo Machiavelli. In his famous book, “The Prince,” Machiavelli gives advice to rulers on how to govern their states by being practical and strategic, even at the expense of using manipulation, violence, and deception to achieve their goals and strengthen their control. The common traits associated with Machiavellianism are manipulation, lack of emotion and moral compass, exploitation of others, and deceit.2,3 People with this trait do not have a moral “stop button” and believe that the ends justify the means.

Subclinical Psychopathy: You might have heard of the term “psychopath” often these days, especially in the media. Psychopathy has recently been added to the subclinical sphere of dark personality traits. The key characteristics of psychopathy are high impulsivity, lack of empathy, volatility, and being without remorse. It is important to note that psychopathy in this context of the dark triad is different from a clinical diagnosis of antisocial personality disorder in adults, which is mainly characterized by serious psychopathic traits.1,7 Overall, there are some common features between the three dark triad personality traits. To varying degrees, all three traits describe a socially malevolent character with a high tendency toward self-promotion and emotional coldness. 

How to identify someone with the dark triad personality?

Honestly, there’s no easy way! The researchers who originally introduced the concept of the dark triad personality have also devised a measurement scale to assess an individual’s inclination towards these traits, known as the Short Dark Triad (SD3). Several studies have already employed this scale to assess its reliability and validity, with promising results for a wide-scale implementation.8 However, further research and validation efforts are required to establish its reliability for practical use. Nonetheless, there are some common signals that you could potentially use to identify people with these traits in your day-to-day life. 

Firstly, due to a constant thirst to be fulfilled, you might feel emotionally, physically, and financially depleted after every interaction with people who possess the dark triad personality, making it possible that you are being manipulated and used for personal gain. Secondly, people with the dark triad personality are experts at emotional abuse and gaslighting (making you question your sense of self and reality). Therefore, when you try to confront these individuals, they quickly turn the table and become the victim, making you the villain of every situation. Lastly, it is hard for people with dark triad personalities to sustain healthy long-term relationships with friends, partners, family, or work colleagues.2 Therefore, if you’ve noticed a pattern of frequent unsuccessful relationships, this could be a red flag, hinting that an individual might have some of the dark personality traits. Despite the complexities in identifying those with a dark triad personality, being aware of these warning signs can assist in protecting oneself from potential harm and exploitation.

Moral of the story?

Obviously, having an instance or a specific situation that could be associated with any of the abovementioned traits does not mean that an individual has a dark personality trait. It is the pattern of constant behaviours and actions that are important and worth consideration to identify someone with a dark triad personality. It could be quite a dangerous road to be in any kind of relationship with an individual with these personality traits. If you identify someone who has a dark triad personality, the best advice could be to distance yourself as much as possible.

References

  1. 1.Epstein, S. (1994). Trait theory as personality theory: Can a part be as great as the whole? Psychological Inquiry, 5(2), 120–122. https://doi.org/10.1207/s15327965pli0502_4
  2. 2.McCrae RR, John OP. An introduction to the five-factor model and its applications. J Pers. 1992 Jun;60(2):175-215. doi: 10.1111/j.1467-6494.1992.tb00970.x. PMID: 1635039.
  3. Paulhus, DL, Williams, KM. The Dark Triad of personality: Narcissism, machiavellianism, and psychopathy. Journal of Research in Personality. 2002;36(6):556–563. https://doi.org/10.1016/s0092-6566(02)00505-6 
  4. 4-Frothingham, M. B. (2023, July 26). Dark Triad personality traits. Simply Psychology. https://www.simplypsychology.org/dark-triad-personality.html 
  5. 5-Loggins, B. (2023, April 11). Dark Triad personality: What it is and how to spot it. Verywell Mind. https://www.verywellmind.com/what-is-the-dark-triad-personality-5217146#citation-1 
  6. 6- Encyclopædia Britannica, inc. Narcissus. Encyclopædia Britannica. https://www.britannica.com/topic/Narcissus-Greek-mythology
  7. 7- Zimmerman, M. (2023, August 29). Antisocial personality disorder (ASPD) – psychiatric disorders. MSD Manual Professional Edition. https://www.msdmanuals.com/professional/psychiatric-disorders/personality-disorders/antisocial-personality-disorder-aspd
  8. 8- Jones, D. N., & Paulhus, D. L. (2013). Introducing the short dark triad (SD3). Assessment, 21(1), 28–41. https://doi.org/10.1177/1073191113514105