THE DARK TRIAD OF PERSONALITY NARCISSISM MACHIAVELLIANISM AND

THE DARK TRIAD OF PERSONALITY: NARCISSISM, MACHIAVELLIANISM, AND PSYCHOPATHY Delroy L. Paulhus & Kevin M. Williams

THE GIST OF IT ALL… WHAT IS THE DARK TRIAD?

LITERATURE REVIEW NARCISSISM Main Characteristics Grandiosity Entitlement Superiority Dominance How it’s measured Narcissistic Personality Inventory Test (NPI) Originated from the DSM (Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders

LITERATURE REVIEW MACHIAVELLIANISM Characteristics Cold Manipulative How it’s measured Mach IV Richard Christie “The end justifies the means” -Niccolo Machiavelli

LITERATURE REVIEW PSYCHOPATHY Characteristics High impulsivity Thrill seeking Low empathy Low anxiety How it’s Measured Self-Report Psychopathy Scale (SRP III) Psychopathy Check List (Hare) § Gold standard of measurement

LITERATURE REVIEW What’s the Connection? Socially malevolent characteristics Behaviour tendencies towards self promotion Emotional coldness Duplicity Aggressiveness

LITERATURE REVIEW Psychopat hy Narcissism Mac hiavellianis m

HYPOTHESIS Are they equivalent?

RESEARCH QUESTIONS When mapping the Dark Triad on the Big Five domains what differences and similarities are noticed? Would characteristics of the substantial selfenhancement observed in narcissists also be evident in Machiavellian and sub clinically psychopathic individuals?

METHODOLOGY 245 undergraduate psychology students (65% female) participated in the study for an extra course credit Step #1 Anonymous Questionnaire § Dark Triad § Big 5 § Intelligence Step #2 Supervised Administration of global cognitive ability (IQ) § Over Claiming Measure § Objective Measure

STEP #1 THE DARK TRIAD Narcissistic Personality Inventory (NPI) § 40 item questionnaire . 84 Machiavellianism Test (Mach IV) . 79 § 20 items on a 5 point likert scale . 74 Self-Report Psychopathy(SRP 111) § 30 five point items

STEP #1 THE BIG FIVE 44 item questionnaire Personality Traits: § Extraversion § Agreeableness § Conscientiousness § Neuroticism § Openness . 87. 81. 86. 80

STEP #1 INTELLIGENCE Four 5 -point scales § 1 – Not at all, 5 – Very Much. 83 § Items were: Intelligent, smart, good at school and known as brainy

STEP #2 Wonderlic Personnel Test § Supervised, 50 item § Verbal & Non Verbal Over Claiming Questionnaire (OCQ). 84 § Cognitive Ability § Self-Enhancement Bias. 93

STATISTICAL ANALYSIS & RESULTS

STATISTICAL ANALYSIS & RESULTS Conscientiousness Agreeableness Machiavellians -. 34 -. 36 § Narcissists Psychopaths -. 24 § Machiavellians -. 47 Neuroticism § Psychopaths -. 25 Psychopaths -. 34

STATISTICAL ANALYSIS & RESULTS Narcissism Psychopathy Extraversion. 41. 34 Openness. 38. 24

STATISTICAL ANALYSIS & RESULTS Small positive correlations with cognitive abilities and narcissism Highest scores on non-verbal. 20. 13 IQ § Machiavellianism § Psychopathy Over-claiming . 17. 24 § Narcissism § Over-estimate their intelligence

FUN FACT Males scored the highest on all 3 of the Dark Triad Two-tailed test p<. 05 § NPI § MACH IV § SRP 111 . 11. 21. 40

DISCUSSION Big Five showed low agreeableness in all 3 Narcissists and psychopaths scored the highest in extraversion and openness Machiavellianism and psychopathy scored lowest in the conscientiousness category Psychopaths scored low on neuroticism and therefore lack anxiety

DISCUSSION Self – enhancement § 1. Narcissists § 2. Psychopaths § Does not apply to Machiavellianism Narcissists to Psychopaths § Grandiosity & poor insight Significant associations of Machiavellianism and psychopathy with a relatively higher non-verbal to verbal IQ score

FUN FACT

THE GOOD, THE BAD & THE UGLY Machiavellians and narcissists, more of an irritation than threat A blessing in disguise? § Personal life § Interpersonal life § Organizational contexts Psychopathy more difficult § Positive self view, lack of anxiety

CONCLUSION They are not equivalent!

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS Which job or job position do you think suits a narcissist, Machiavellian or psychopath best? Which of the 3 seem the “worst” or least tolerable? What about them makes you think this way? Which do you see as most beneficial? (society, personal life, organizational contexts)