Getting to the core: How “(dis)honest” is the core of the Dark Triad?

Abstract

Recent work on the Dark Triad has underscored the role of both general and specific factors as sources of variance. Specifically, there are two competing perspectives: a unification approach where the Dark Triad reflects a broad, general factor and a separatist approach which views the three specific traits of Machiavellianism, narcissism, and psychopathy as separate factors. This differentiation has complicated and confounded past work which has considered the core of the Dark Triad in terms of low honest-humility. As the empirical research on this issue is equivocal, the current study uses bi-factor exploratory structural equation modeling to provide a stringent test of whether honesty-humility demonstrates stronger relations with the Dark Triad's general factor than with the three specific factors. Results shows that although honest-humility demonstrated negative relations with each Dark Triad factor, relations between honest-humility and the general factor were approximately equal, or weaker than, relations between honest-humility and the specific Machiavellianism factor. This study provides contradictory evidence against the perspective that the core of the Dark Triad reflects the inverse of honest-humility. Recommendations for continued research are discussed.