The Dark Triad

Research into the darker side of human nature has increased exponentially, drawing particular interest into the Dark Triad of personality (Aghababaei & Błachnio, 2015). The Dark Triad consists of the three similar, but distinct constructs: Narcissism, Machiavellianism and subclinical psychopathy (Paulhus & Williams, 2002). Narcissism is a personality trait related with elevated levels of self interest, grandiosity and sense of entitlement (Campbell, Rudich, & Sedikides, 2002). Psychopathy, on the other hand is characterised by high impulsivity, lack of empathy and irresponsibility (Poythress & Hall, 2011). Machiavellianism is marked by duplicity and manipulation (Jones & Paulhus, 2011). All three constructs are associated with a socially aversive style of interaction, correlated with negative emotional, social and legal implications for both the individual and others (Furnham, Richards, & Paulhus, 2013). Due to the phenotypical similarity in their anti-social style of interaction; the three constructs appear to be deceptively equivalent, when they are in fact distinct. Some theorists support unificationist approach, which presents the constructs as equivalent by drawing evidence from evolutionary theory and the Big Five personality model. On the other hand, multiple theorists cite research from behaviour and genetics studies, to highlight the distinct nature of the three constructs. This essay will argue that the three constructs are distinct by presenting and critically

The data for this study came from graduate students at Southern New Hampshire University, who were apart of the online psychology program. The data source represents a convenience sample chosen by the researcher because of the nature of the learning environment and availability of participants. All data were originally collected through Qualtrics, which is an online survey. Due to confidentiality considerations, the identities of the participants were not available. Incomplete surveys were not included in this analysis.

The data for this study came from graduate students at Southern New Hampshire University, who were a part of an online psychology program. The data source represents a convenience sample chosen by the researcher because of the nature of the learning environment and availability of participants. All data were originally collected through Qualtrics, which is an online survey platform. Due to confidentiality considerations, the identities of the participants were not available. Incomplete surveys were not included in this analysis.

Three hundred Undergraduates (18-50 years old) enrolled in Texas A&M International University (TAMIU) will be utilized as participants. Undergraduate students will be chosen from undergrad courses of all majors. The participants will be issued a consent form (Appendix A) debriefing form (Appendix E), if they decide to participate in the present study. Furthermore, students who decide to participate will be entered in a raffle to win a $50 Amazon Gift Card.

The first step in this study was to determine what variable to study with adverse childhood experiences. After reviewing literature the researcher decided to see if there is a correlation between ACE and Machiavellianism. The researcher then identified assessments to determine if the participant experienced ACE or exhibited Machiavellianism, narcissism or psychopathy

For this study, Terry studied thirty-nine college students (22 women and 17 men) in groups of 6-8, who were

Similarly, the hypocrisy hypothesis has testable measures that allow one’s focus to see the ratings of narcissists’ and of individuals that are presumably noted for having appropriate behavior standards, through observational methods. Observational methods are described as “a technique whereby a researcher observes people and systematically records measurements or impressions of their behavior (Aronson, Wilson, Akert, & Sommers, 2016). Nevertheless, it would be fair to mention during the experimental evaluations the testers experienced the effects of the cover story, in which the participants were given the objective which ended with differences of the original to uphold its psychological realism (Aronson, et al., 2016). Although appropriate behavior would be seen in the eye of the beholder, for instance, it would not be fair for the likings of anyone to give an accurate description of what appropriate behavior can be, that would depend on the individuals’ perceptions.

In The Oxford Handbook of Political Psychology, Carolyn L. Funk explains the theory of genetic foundations of political behavior. This new era of political behavior research has initiated the role of genetic influences in social and political behaviors and how it is changing our understanding of how citizens think about and participate in democratic society.

A confident person will perform a task and, if he or she fails, he or she will learn from the experience and move on. A narcissist, on the other hand, will become increasingly irritated and hard-headed and, like a child, throws a tantrum. This is perhaps one of the key differences between those who are confident in themselves and those have narcissism personality disorder: the former will accept defeat and try to improve, the latter cannot accept defeat in any sense and doesn’t feel the need to improve. This is the severity of such a personality disorder. Most remarkably, there is not much more that so clearly distinguishes them from others. Psychologist Donald Capps documents the real life story of Johnny Hinckley, the man who attempted to assassinate the 40th president, Ronald Regan; and analyzes quite interestingly the clear and noticeable characteristics of narcissism in Hinckley’s personality. Hinckley’s childhood was, to all appearances, normal, and there were certainly no signs that he would one day attempt to assassinate the president of the United States. Narcissism personality disorder is a disorder that has the same background that leads to sociopathic and psychopathic behavior, which is probably why the disorder is so difficult to

In terms of the trend of people forming into distinct, and often bitterly opposed, political groups, psychologists have argued that the typical liberal/conservative divide is based on two factors. Firstly, on differences in how individuals, generally speaking, construct their moral frameworks. And secondly, on personality differences between the individual members of the different groups, which may underlie the distinctness between liberal and conservative moral frameworks. Specifically, it is argued that those in the liberal camp construct their moral frameworks focusing on the psychological foundations of harm/care and fairness/reciprocity. Whereas, the moral frameworks of those in the conservative camp are founded on five psychological

The Dark Triad of Personality is composed of human’s tendency towards a stable, dimensional personality trait portraying self-centeredness, self-aggrandizement, dominance and interpersonal manipulation, as well as being characterized by impaired cognition as evidenced by distorted perceptions of self and others—widely known as narcissism (Campbell & Miller, 2011; Lootems, 2011); another is psychopathy distinguished by a lack of concern for both other people and social regulatory mechanisms, impulsivity, and a lack of guilt or remorse when their action harm others (Rauthman & Kolar, 2013).; while Machiavellianism is marked by three sets of interrelated values—an avowed belief in the effectiveness of manipulative tactics in dealing with other people, a cynical view of human nature, and a moral outlook that puts expediency above principle (Furtner & Baldeger, 2016)

Study 1: We hypothesize that there will be a positive correlation between participant’s personal morality values and the morality values held by the participants’ desired presidential candidate. However, there will be a negative

My results ranked 2.7 Narcissism, 1.7 Machiavellianism and 0.7 Psychopathy. Before, this assessment I never knew the meaning of Narcissism or Machiavellianism. Narcissism: A person who is in preoccupied with their self/self-image. It’s known that these people

In Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs there are five stages. In order, the stages are: Physiological, Safety, Love and Belongingness, Esteem, and Self-Actualization. Trump flip flops between two of the stages: Love and Belongingness, and Esteem. One of Trump’s traits of the Big Five is narcissism, which in the McAdam’s (2016) article, it states that people display this trait because they lack early-life mirroring. This means that the parents failed to lovingly reflect on their child’s budding grandiosity, in return, leaving the child desperately seeking affirmation from others throughout their lives. Love and Belongingness reflects Trump’s narcissistic tendencies in this way. Trump shows the Esteem stage with his need to be the best, be successful, and prove that he can be a successful president. As president of the United States, Trump is trying to fulfill his Self-Actualization need with Self- Transcendence by helping others and fulfill his inner potential as president. Trump bases his actions and goals on the

Some of us are darker than the rest. These “darker” individuals make an interesting topic for psychologists. As stated by Paulhus & Williams in 2002, the three major traits of these socially aversive personalities are Machiavellianism, narcissism and psychopathy. Core of Machiavellianism lies in its manipulative nature ( Paulhus & Williams, 2002 ). They can also be deceitful, dishonest and cold ( Carter, Campbell & Muncer, 2013). As McHoskey states, they can also use social manipulation to achieve their goals and they are also oppurtunists. They also have their sexual debuts in earlier ages and report more sexual partners. ( cited in Carter et al., 2013). As Christie & Geis (1970) puts, they are misanthropic, cynical, and they have high agency. ( cited in Rauthmann & Kolar, 2012). To compare with the Big