The Dark Triad Traits and the Prediction of Eudaimonic Wellbeing.

Yaqian Liu,Na Zhao,Min Ma

doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2021.693778

Yaqian Liu, Na Zhao + Show 1 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2021.693778

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Abstract

Although numerous studies have focused on personality traits related to well-being, the relationship between the Dark Triad Traits and eudaimonic well-being is still unclear. The purpose of the present study was to explore how the Dark Triad Traits (i.e., narcissism, Machiavellianism, and psychopathy) affect eudaimonic well-being. Further, this study also aimed to explore the mediation effect of family support and hedonic wellbeing. The results showed that the present model had a good model fit (χ2/df = 1.91, p < 0.001, comparative-fit-index (CFI) = 0.96, tucker-lewis-index (TLI) = 0.95, root mean square error of approximation (RMSEA) = 0.04, standardized root mean square residual (SRMR) = 0.04). There is a significant association between the Dark Triad Traits and eudaimonic wellbeing. Specifically, narcissism directly predicts eudaimonic wellbeing, while the effects of Machiavellianism and psychopathy on eudaimonic wellbeing are serial two-mediator models, which are mediated by family support and hedonic wellbeing. The results would enrich theoretical studies on personality while providing some practical evidence on how to improve the subjective well-being of individuals.

Highlights

Numerous studies have paid attention to the association between personality traits and wellbeing (e.g., Henningsgaard and Arnau, 2008; Lavigne et al, 2013; Burton et al, 2015)
The study of the issue would extend our understanding of the Dark Triad Traits in two ways: first, investigating the Dark Triad Traits of people in collectivistic culture can extend the understanding of its cultural universality, while the Dark Triad Traits were originated from Western culture, and most previous studies had relied on Western samples
Psychopathy was negatively associated with hedonic well-being, while both Machiavellianism and psychopathy were negatively associated with eudaimonic well-being

Summary

Introduction

Numerous studies have paid attention to the association between personality traits and wellbeing (e.g., Henningsgaard and Arnau, 2008; Lavigne et al, 2013; Burton et al, 2015). The relationship between the Dark Triad Traits (i.e., Machiavellianism, psychopathy, and narcissism) and wellbeing has been well-documented (Volmer et al, 2016; Joshanloo, 2021; Van Groningen et al, 2021). Most of these studies had focused on hedonic wellbeing, a kind of wellbeing, which emphasized the momentary emotional balance (Paleari et al, 2021). The study would explore the psychological mechanisms between the Dark Triad Traits and eudaimonic wellbeing, which can provide some practical implications in improving the subjective well-being of individuals

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