Abstract
The Dirty Dozen (Jonason & Webster, 2010) is a frequently used concise version of the Dark Triad to measure three socially aversive personality traits: Machiavellianism, psychopathy and, narcissism. The present study has examined measurement invariance in a sample of Belgian adults. The present study aims to assess measurement invariance of the Dutch version of the Dirty Dozen measure across gender in a large city-based representative adult sample in Belgium (N = 1587). Multi-group first-order confirmatory factor analysis for categorical indicators was utilized. In addition, unique associations between Dirty Dozen traits, trait self-control and, acceptance of illegitimate norms were examined in a series of structural equation models. Results indicated that the internal consistency of the Dirty Dozen subscales was good for Machiavellianism (α = 0.80) and narcissism (α = 0.80), but modest for psychopathy (α = 0.64). The hypothesized three correlated factors model with separate factors for Machiavellianism, psychopathy and, narcissism provided a poor fit for men and women. Invariance testing across gender showed evidence for weak invariance only, indicating that the underlying latent factors are measured the same way with the same metric in the two populations. However, we were not able to establish strong measurement invariance. Observed group differences should be interpreted with caution. Furthermore, Machiavellianism and psychopathy were strongly associated with trait self-control in both men and women. Strong correlations were found between acceptance of illegitimate norms and Dirty Dozen traits, Machiavellianism and, psychopathy, but not with narcissism.
Highlights
Previous research suggests that the concise Dirty Dozen Dark Triad measure can be used to provide reliable assessments of gender differences in Dark Triad traits (Chiorri et al, 2019; Pechorro et al, 2019)
MEASUREMENT INVARIANCE TESTING ACROSS GENDER Before invariance testing, we compared the three correlated factors model to a hierarchical model in which the three Dirty Dozen subdimensions are nested into a higher-order factor
We found that Machiavellianism, psychopathy, and narcissism are positively associated with trait self-control in both subsamples
Summary
Previous research suggests that the concise Dirty Dozen Dark Triad measure (the 12-item Dirty Dozen; Jonason & Webster, 2010) can be used to provide reliable assessments of gender differences in Dark Triad traits (Chiorri et al, 2019; Pechorro et al, 2019). The Dark Triad personality traits share a common core of callousness, selfishness and, manipulative tendencies (Jones & Figueredo, 2013). They are considered socially undesirable, the Dark Triad traits are considered non-pathological and all three can be classified within the spectrum of ‘normal’ functioning (Furnham, Richards, & Paulhus, 2013). The last dimension of the Dark Triad, narcissism, is generally considered the least socially aversive trait of the cluster (Pailing et al, 2014). According to Jones and Paulhus (2014), it is the grandiose variant of narcissism that is represented in the Dark Triad
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