Subclinical Psychopathy Research Articles

Assortative mating and the dark triad: Evidence from the UK, Fiji, and meta-analytic review

The ‘dark triad’ represents the socially aversive personality traits of Machiavellianism, subclinical narcissism (henceforth, ‘narcissim’), and subclinical psychopathy (henceforth, ‘psychopathy’). There is evidence of assortative mating suggesting romantic partners are more similar than chance for these traits at the start of relationships (initial assortment) and not becoming alike with time (convergence), that people seek out partners to whom they are similar (active assortment), and that partner resemblance is not explained by social stratification processes (social homogamy). As the literature relates primarily to Eastern European and North American populations, we present studies from the UK (N = 104 couples) and Fiji (N = 99 couples). These showed significant positive assortment for each dark triad trait (other than psychopathy in the Fijian sample), and suggest the effects are explained by initial and active assortment and not by convergence or social homogamy. We also submitted the literature to meta-analytic review (Machiavellianism: k = 10, N = 1302; narcissism: k = 14, N = 1645; psychopathy: k = 13, N = 1989) and observed positive within-couple correlations of small (narcissism, psychopathy) to medium (Machiavellianism) effect size for each of the dark triad traits.

“An Alpha Wouldn't Spare an Emotion on a Woman”: A directed qualitative analysis of dark triad outcomes in women's relationships with Red Pill men

AbstractThe Dark Triad (DT) is a set of personality traits consisting of subclinical psychopathy, narcissism, and Machiavellianism. Separately, The Red Pill (TRP) is a seduction community part of an online men's movement that advocates incorporating DT traits and behaviors in romantic or sexual relationships with women. This study investigates the potential presence of DT influences in relationships with TRP‐affiliated men as described by former romantic partners. Using a directed content analysis of six semi‐structured interviews, four thematic categories emerged: relationship development, coaxing, outward appearances, and DT‐associated Internet behaviors. TRP men consistently displayed self‐interest and willingness to use manipulation to meet their needs, portraying themselves to their partners and the world as successful while callously disregarding partners' emotions in their pursuit of sex or social desirability. Participants' experiences of TRP men's behaviors aligned with prior knowledge regarding DT‐associated romantic and sexual relationships. This research may be used to inform future research connecting DT personalities and maladaptive social groups, as well as generating prevention strategies among relationship‐based practitioners.

Network Analysis of Dark Triad Traits and Emotional Intelligence in Peruvian Adults.

The study of Dark Triad traits and emotional variables has been conducted in numerous regions; however, there is a lack of research focusing on Latin American samples and considering variables such as sex and age. Incorporating these variables could enhance our understanding of underlying aversive patterns. This study aimed to analyze the associations between Dark Triad traits and emotional intelligence in Peruvian adults. Data were collected in 2021 and 272 adults (M=31.8 years, 68% female) participated through online surveys via non-probability purposive sampling. Dirty Dozen and Trait Meta-Mood Scales were used. Two partial correlation network models were applied between the study variables with and without controlling for gender and age. Bridge-expected influence and predictability analysis were calculated to find interconnected traits and higher connections, respectively. Subclinical psychopathy primarily showed negative associations with emotional clarity (r=-0.17), followed by emotional attention (r=-0.08) and emotional repair in networks with and without age and gender variables. Machiavellianism consistently displayed a negative association with emotional repair (r=-0.13) in both estimated networks. Conversely, subclinical narcissism exhibited a positive association solely with emotional attention (r=0.15). Furthermore, younger age was linked to higher Machiavellianism (r=-0.23), females showed higher emotional attention (r=0.11), and narcissism connected intrapersonal emotional domains with Dark Traits (bridge expected influence >1.25) while Machiavellianism exhibited greater predictability (r2>0.45) due to reinforcement by other Dark Traits. This study revealed negative connections between the Dark Triad and emotional intelligence traits, except for narcissism, which was positively associated with emotional attention and functioned as a "bridge" between all traits. However, relying solely on this single positive emotional aspect of narcissism may not be adequate to characterize it as possessing fully adaptive emotional traits. Findings suggest that detailed aspects of emotional intelligence and sociodemographic factors can provide valuable insights into the complex nature of aversive patterns and their broader impact on society.

The Ability to Detect the Characteristics of the Dark Triad from Facial Composites of the Opposite Sex

Individuals often resort to a reliance on perceptions of the facial features of others as facial information is more readily accessible than stable expressions of behaviour. The ability to identify the traits of an individual from their facial features has its basis in evolution. This has been demonstrated in several studies that have focused on the detection of extroversion, friendliness, honesty, and other desirable personality traits. However, the question remains as to whether individuals also possess the ability to detect negative traits, particularly those that pose a risk to a partnership. The present study aims to investigate how accurately individuals are able to detect dark triad traits, specifically narcissism, Machiavellianism, and subclinical psychopathy, and determine if there are any differences in their assessment of the individual traits. Additionally, the study aims to investigate whether there are gender differences in the ability to detect these traits in the faces of the opposite sex, and whether the probability of the occurrence of such an ability is greater than mere chance. The research was conducted using a sample of 631 participants, 51.2% of whom were female, aged 13-80 (mean age: 36.97 years). The research used computer-generated facial composites to produce male and female faces which were either high or low in the dark triad traits. The results indicated that individuals, both male and female, were able to accurately identify the faces, to a statistically significant degree, that exhibited dark triad traits. Women achieved their best results in the detection of subclinical psychopathy in male facial composites, while men achieved their best results in the detection of Machiavellianism in female facial composites.

Marital quality improves self- and partner-reported psychopathy among Chinese couples: A longitudinal study.

Psychopathy is closely related to many negative interpersonal outcomes in daily life, including violence. Therefore, psychopathy intervention in subclinical individuals has significant application value. Guided by the personality-relationship transaction model and social investment theory, this study examined how marital quality affects self- and partner-rated psychopathy. We also used the actor-partner interdependence mediation model to explore the mediating effect of communication. We examined self-reports and partner reports of psychopathy, marital quality, and communication among 260 married Chinese couples. The results indicated that marital quality directly influenced couples' self-rated psychopathy, with both actor and partner effects on husbands' psychopathy and actor effects on wives' psychopathy. Moreover, verbal communication had mediating effects at time 2 between marital quality at time 1 and partner-reported psychopathy at time 3. Meanwhile, the mediating effect of nonverbal communication was not significant. Our investigation of relationship effects on psychopathy revealed that the underlying mechanisms differed between self- and partner-rated psychopathy. The findings can highlight directions for exploring potential intervention strategies for subclinical psychopathy.

Subclinical psychopathy and styles of intimate relationships

Different studies show the relationship between subclinical psychopathy and the strategies of distancing and avoidance that prevent the formation of stable and lasting emotional bonds in the couple. The study analyses subclinical psychopathy and the relationship style/love type in a sample of 1289 university students to determine its frequency, as well as the relationship between psychopathy and the relationship style/love type. The Integrated/Subclinical Psychopathy Questionnaire (CUPIS) and the Triangle of Love Scale (TLS) were used. It was found that a significant percentage of these students presents features that characterise subclinical psychopathy. In addition, it was found that the higher the score in psychopathy, the lower the intimacy, passion and commitment in their relationships. Furthermore, subclinical psychopathy was found to be a greater predictor of a lack of intimacy and commitment in intimate relationships between couples. In conclusion, we highlight that, in subclinical psychopathy, there are low patterns of intimacy and commitment in relationships; so these are unlikely to remain stable over time.

Coping with Dark Leadership: Examination of the Impact of Psychological Capital on the Relationship between Dark Leaders and Employees’ Basic Need Satisfaction in the Workplace

In leadership research, the Dark Triad of personality has become a topic of great interest. This construct includes the personality traits of narcissism, Machiavellianism, and subclinical psychopathy and is associated with several negative outcomes for organizations and followers’ satisfaction. In contrast, the construct of psychological capital, which includes hope, resilience, self-efficacy, and optimism, is positively related to extra-role organizational citizenship behaviors and employee performance. Therefore, the question arises whether people can benefit from psychological capital when confronted with a manager that exhibits dark personality traits. Subsequently, the purpose of this study is to examine the potential impact of psychological capital on the relationship between the Dark Triad traits of managers and the work-related basic need satisfaction of employees. Thus, a dataset of 469 employees was analyzed. Regression analyses demonstrated that the Dark Triad of personality and psychological capital both work as predictors of work-related basic need satisfaction. When controlling for mediating effects, psychological capital appeared as a partial mediator of the relationship between the managers’ dark traits and the employees’ basic need satisfaction in the workplace. The theoretical and practical implications of the results, as well as suggestions for future research, are discussed.

Psychometric properties of the Greek translation of the Greek Short Dark Triad questionnaire (GSD3Q) in a subclinical sample

Introduction‘Dark Triad’ is a constellation of three conceptually distinct but empirically overlapping personality variables. The three members- Machiavellianism, narcissism and subclinical psychopathy – often show differential correlates but share a common core of callous-manipulation.ObjectivesTo validate an easy to use and valid measurement for subclinical populations examining the 3 factors of the dark triad of personality.MethodsA pool of items designed to circumscribe the classic conceptions of the Dark Triad constructs used for the Short Dark Triad were translated using the multiple forward and backward translation protocol. Participants consisted of 391 adults recruited from social media. Participants were then asked to rate their agreement with each of the 44 items generated for the GSD3Q).Results391 adults participated, 51 (13%) male, 340 (87%) female mean age 41.4(SD=10.8). Corrected Item-Total Correlation was used for the first reduction of items and then PCA with eigenvalues >1.5 was used for the reduction of the items loading lower than 0. 400 for each factor independently. Finally, Principal Axis Factoring with Varimax rotation led to 9 items for Machiavellianism (alpha coefficient=0.659), 8 items for Narcissism (alpha coefficient=0.659) and 10 items for Psychopathy (alpha coefficient=0.742). Strong correlations were found as expected between the 3 factors with lower between Machiavellianism and Narcissism r=.487 p=0.001 and higher between Psychopath and Narcissism r=.617 p=0.001.ConclusionsThe results of the current validation led to a 27 item, with 3 factors questionnaire with similar psychometric properties for non-clinical populations. Further validation is needed for clinical samples.Disclosure of InterestNone Declared

“One of these things is not like the others”: The associations between dark triad personality traits, work attitudes, and work-related motivation

Our research investigated whether the dark triad personality traits relate to work attitude including work-related motivation, organizational identification, organizational commitment, and job satisfaction. We hypothesized that subclinical narcissism is associated positively, while subclinical psychopathy is associated negatively with work attitude. We also investigated the relationships between Machiavellianism and work attitude but did not formulate any hypothesis because of the mixed previous findings. Two studies (NTotal = 688) assessed these predictions. Importantly, in Study 2 we obtained both self-report and observer-report measures of dark triad traits and achievement motivation. Results supported our predictions. The findings suggest that each dark triad trait has a distinct relationship with work outcomes. Furthermore, the participants' self- and other-rated dark triad personality traits only correlated weakly. Implications of these findings are discussed.

The motive of competition but not courtship positively correlates with self-reported use of aggressive humor: A critical test of the contests- vs. mate-choice hypotheses.

The use of aggressive humor (e.g., teasing, schadenfreude, and sarcasm) is a spiteful behavior because it inflicts costs on both others and the self. To explain the existence of this spiteful behavior, two hypotheses derived from sexual selection theory-namely Mate-Choice and Contests-posit that the use of aggressive humor helps one attract mates or repel competitors. Both hypotheses have merit, but extant data are unable to discriminate between them. We critically tested those two hypotheses with a survey study that measured 509 U.S. MTurkers' self-reported tendencies to use aggressive (and other types of) humor, the motives to engage in competition and courtship, and the Dark-Triad personality traits. The final sample was N = 439. We found that (1) the motive of competition but not courtship positively and significantly correlated with the self-reported tendency to use aggressive humor. (2) Subclinical psychopathy-a personality trait positively associated with competition-mediated the correlation between the motive of competition and self-reported use of aggressive humor. These results were held in both female and male respondents. Our findings favored the Contests Hypothesis and helped reveal the psychological mechanism that generates the use of aggressive humor as a form of verbal aggression and spiteful behavior.

Testing the cognitive niche hypothesis with structural equation modeling: different dark traits predict an evening-chronotype in males and females

Dark triad (DT) refers to a set of antisocial and self-interested personality traits (Machiavellianism, sub-clinical psychopathy and narcissism). The nocturnal cognitive niche hypothesis suggests that the DT was advantageous in a nocturnal niche because it enables exploitative strategies and would be linked with an evening-oriented chronotype as part of a fast life history strategy. In the present self-report study (N = 300), this hypothesis was tested in a Brazilian sample. It was found that Machiavellianism was a predictor of this chronotype profile in females and secondary psychopathy was a predictor of this profile in males. Also, sex differences were replicated: on average, males exhibited “darker” personalities and more evening-oriented chronotype. Finally, these associations were tested with structural equation modeling controlling for sex and was found that the exploitative “darkcore” (psychopathy and Machiavellianism) predicts an evening-oriented chronotype. These results provide the first support for the nocturnal cognitive niche hypothesis in a non-WEIRD population.

Motives Linking Subclinical Psychopathy and Benign Masochism to Recreational Drug use

As the use of some psychoactive substances continues to be a global health risk, it is important to understand why people use them. We compared the predictive power of psychopathy and masochism with regard to lifetime recreational drug use and tested the underlying motives in a sample of 415 US-based adults. Psychopathy predicted use of illicit drugs, cannabis, and nicotine, while masochism predicted cannabis, alcohol, and caffeine use. Both traits were related to most motives, but the motives differentially predicted substance use. Expansion motivation was the sole motive for illicit drug use, whereas cannabis was predicted mainly by expansion and enhancement. Alcohol, nicotine, and caffeine were used to escape daily worries, and alcohol was further used for social reasons. Benign masochism is a newly identified predictor of popular drug use. Future research could investigate masochism and expansion motivation as predictors of potentially harmful substance use.

Prevalence of psychopathy in a community sample of Spanish adults: Definitions and measurements matter.

The main objective of this work is to examine the prevalence of psychopathy in the general adult population from the main currently existing theoretical perspectives of psychopathy, using for this purpose the five-factor or Big Five model as a common language that allows the comparison and integration of the personality traits considered as defining psychopathy by these different perspectives. The NEO Personality Inventory-Revised (NEO PI-R) was applied to a sample of 682 adults of the general Spanish population. The prevalence of clinical and subclinical psychopathy was calculated according to six different definitions of these two constructs based on Hare's, Lilienfeld's, triarchic, and DSM-5-hybrid models, and the simultaneous presence of a minimum number of personality traits that differed from the sample mean by one standard deviation. Prevalence rates for the different definitions were consistently low, indicating that the prevalence of clinical psychopathy in the general Spanish population is around 0.55%, and that of subclinical psychopathy is around 1.65%. There were no significant sex differences in the prevalence of psychopathy. These results question the alarmist claims that warn about the existence in society of a very high number of people with psychopathy who can cause many social, economic, physical, and psychological damage to others.

The Dark Triad of Personality: Attitudes and Beliefs Towards White-Collar Crime

Studies have identified the Dark Triad as a predictor of crime. White-Collar Crime (WCC) costs billions of estimated losses and has significant consequences for businesses, employees and consumers. Despite this, research on the Dark Triad and WCC is scarce. This study aimed to explore the relationship between the Dark Triad and WCC. Analyses, which were conducted on a sample of 157 participants, revealed significant relationships between subclinical psychopathy (disinhibition and meanness), narcissism, and attitudes and beliefs towards WCC. Sub-components of the Dark Triad do not have the same predictive powers. These findings have several implications, ranging from exploring which personality traits can predict potential predispositions towards WCC, to offering a much-needed empirical foundation in the development of effective prevention strategies.

The Moderating Effects of "Dark" Personality Traits and Message Vividness on the Persuasiveness of Terrorist Narrative Propaganda.

Terrorism researchers have long discussed the role of psychology in the radicalization process. This work has included research on the respective roles of individual psychological traits and responses to terrorist propaganda. Unfortunately, much of this work has looked at psychological traits and responses to propaganda individually and has not considered how these factors may interact. This study redresses this gap in the literature. In this experiment (N = 268), participants were measured in terms of their narcissism, Machiavellianism, subclinical psychopathy, and everyday sadism—collectively called the Dark Tetrad. Participants were then exposed to a vivid or nonvivid terrorist narrative (or a control message). Results indicate that Machiavellianism interacts with both narrative exposure and narrative vividness to amplify the persuasive effect of terrorist narratives. Neither narcissism, subclinical psychopathy, nor everyday sadism had such an effect. These results highlight the importance of considering the psychological traits of audiences when evaluating proclivity for radicalization via persuasion by terrorist narratives.

Profile of Subclinical Psychopathy in Spanish University Students.

Psychopaths are portrayed as deceitful, manipulative, domineering and narcissistic; the result of an irregular and irresponsible interpersonal style that harms both the psychopath him/herself and others. Furthermore, psychopathy is frequently associated with both violent and antisocial conduct. However, subclinical psychopaths are known for manifesting this type of profile without committing crimes. The objective of this study is to examine the differences that exist in subclinical psychopathy concerning gender, the number of intimate relationships and the age of the university student. The number of university students participating was 1289. They were given the Integrated/Subclinical Psychopathy Questionnaire (CUPIS). The results show that, in subclinical psychopathy, men present higher scores than women and younger persons have higher scores than older persons. In addition, the scores in psychopathy are higher for students who have had a larger number of intimate relationships. The contributions of this study allow us to determine the profile associated with subclinical psychopathy.

The evil within: The AMORAL model of dark creativity

The dark side of creativity entails using original thought to meet a selfish, negative, or evil goal, with or without the deliberate intent to harm others. Recent empirical advances have studied the behavioral correlates of such creativity, including associations with aggression, deception, and subclinical psychopathy. The time, therefore, seems apt to propose a theoretical framework for dark creativity’s development and manifestation. This article outlines the AMORAL model of dark creativity, which traces a creative action from its Antecedents to Mechanisms and Operants to its Realization, and to the subsequent Aftereffects and Legacy of the act. We use both real-life and simulated examples to illustrate the application of the theory across multiple domains, from law enforcement to interpersonal relationships. Our goal is to help guide future scholarship and measurement.

Латентные личностные профили стилевой регуляции принятия решений

Decision making (DM) generally assumes that the person is performing a choice between a multitude of alternatives under uncertainty and possible risk. According to the concept of dynamic regulative systems (Kornilova, 2016), preferred or most relied on DM strategies are linked in an integrative way with a variety of personality traits that can be at the top of the hierarchy. These include risk readiness, rationality, and Dark Triad traits as reflective of a generally unstable personality core. Decision-Making Tendency Inventory (DMTI; Misuraca et al., 2015) defined DM characteristics via maximization, satisficing and minimization. However, the relationships between DM characteristics captured by DMTI and the listed personality traits have not been explored before. The goal of the current study was establishing latent personality profiles in a person-centered approach that integrates DM “tendencies” and the listed personality traits by identifying relatively homogenous subgroups of individuals with similar profiles. Methods. 625 individuals in the age from 17 to 39 years (М = 20,17, SD = 3,02; 84% females) participated in the study. We used DMTI, Dirty Dozen, and LFR questionnaires to measure DM tendencies, Dark Triad traits, and risk readiness/rationality, respectively. Latent profile analysis was performed in VarSelLCM for R. Results. The results indicated the presence of three latent profiles in the data after adjustments for age and sex. Risk readiness and Dark Triad traits were positively related with maximizing and satisficing, forming one latent class. In another class lower rationality, on the other hand, was linked with minimization. In the third class higher rationality accompanied lower Dark Triad traits. Conclusions. The results provide evidence in favor of the general hypothesis that latent profiles of personality traits are associated with distinct preferences for specific DM tendencies. Higher levels of maximizing, satisficing, and minimizing were not related to subclinical psychopathy or Machiavellianism. Higher narcissism and risk readiness, generally unrelated, are nonetheless characteristic of the latent class that prefers maximizing and satisficing. Preference for minimization of effort during DM was associated with lower rationality. Latent class or latent profile analysis is a powerful technique that sheds new light on the relationships between personality and DM, beyond the contributions of variable-centered approaches such as correlational analysis.

Dark personalities and Bitcoin®: The influence of the Dark Tetrad on cryptocurrency attitude and buying intention

Markets for cryptocurrencies such as Bitcoin have experienced tremendous growth. Yet little research has examined why people want to buy cryptocurrencies that are risky investments. The present research studies a subset of people interested in cryptocurrencies. Specifically, we examine the effect of Dark Tetrad traits (Machiavellianism, subclinical narcissism, subclinical psychopathy, and subclinical sadism) on a person's crypto attitude and buying intention. The following mediators were examined as reasons for people buying crypto: (1) conspiracy beliefs (e.g., distrust of government), (2) positivity and (3) fear of missing out (FoMO). Importantly, we are not suggesting all crypto buyers exhibit Dark Tetrad traits. Based on a pre-registered survey of the main research question rather than hypotheses (N = 566), it was found that narcissism was positively associated with crypto attitude which was mediated by positivity. Machiavellianism was associated with buying intention which was mediated by conspiracy beliefs. Machiavellians were more distrustful of government which was associated with a greater desire to buy crypto. Psychopathy affected crypto judgments through FoMO and a negative effect on positivity. Sadism is associated with FoMO and a lack of positivity which affects crypto judgments.

Political Hearts of Darkness: The Dark Triad as Predictors of Political Orientations and Interest in Politics.

Background: This study investigated the relationships between the Dark Triad of personality (sub-clinical psychopathy, Machiavellianism, and narcissism) and four political variables: socio-religious conservatism, support for greater economic equality, overall liberal–conservative orientation, and interest in politics. A theoretical approach that focused on the influence of the Dark Triad in large groups was provided to interpret those relationships. Methodological issues found in previous research that related to the use of abbreviated scales to measure the dark traits and the use of unidimensional indicators of political orientations were addressed. Methods: A hierarchical regression analysis was conducted to determine whether any of the three dark traits could explain variance in the aforementioned political attributes over and above that accounted for by the Big Five, sex, age, and nationality, using the full personality scales and measures of political orientation that captured both social and economic liberalism–conservatism. Results: Machiavellianism uniquely predicted lower levels of socio-religious conservatism, and both Machiavellianism and narcissism uniquely predicted lower levels of overall conservatism. Conclusions: There were important links between the Dark Triad and politics.