The document discusses the 'dark triad' of personality traits, which include narcissism, machiavellianism, and psychopathy, highlighting their negative impacts on relationships and overall well-being. It provides a detailed analysis of each trait, their common characteristics, behavioral patterns, and psychosocial consequences, including their manipulative and aggressive tendencies. The document also suggests ways to recognize and deal with individuals exhibiting these traits to mitigate their negative effects.

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Dark Triad

2. Introduction
 The “Dark Triad” was coined in 2002 by Paulhus and
Williams which refer to personality traits that make people
magnets for conflict and disagreement.
 These are negative qualities because they destroy
relationships and compromise overall well-being.
 These people can be helped by boosting their strengths
and play down their weaknesses.
 They have host of undesirable behaviors including
 Aggressiveness,
 Sexual opportunism, and
 Impulsivity
 The technical definition of the Dark Triad( Jonason and
Webster’s article) is rather daunting: “the Dark Triad as a
whole can be thought of as a short-term, agentic,
exploitative social strategy...” (p. 420).
 People who show these qualities are trying to get away with

4. What is the Dark Triad?
The Dark Triad refers to three negative personality traits that are different, yet
related
Narcissism - Rauthman finds it distinct from other two
Machiavellianism, and – “Malicious Two”
Psychopathy. – “Malicious Two”
1. Narcissism –But not narcissistic personality disorder (NPD) .This term came
about because of the Greek myth of Narcissus, a young man who fell in love with his
reflection after looking at himself in a pond of water. He became so engrossed in it that
he fell into the water and drowned . Synonymous with unhealthy self-love.
Narcissism is characterized by
 The pursuit of ego gratification,
Vanity,
 A sense of superiority and Prideful, ,
Grandiosity,
 Dominance and Have a low tolerance for criticism. , and
Entitlement.
Lack empathy for others
 Narcissists have no qualms about manipulating others for their gain.
People are narcissistic to different degrees.
 Many narcissists only harm themselves.
 Narcissists possess qualities that others find desirable, such as being more
physically attractive, charming, conscientious, and achievement-oriented but
fades over time.
 Narcissists are brightest of three

5. What is the Dark Triad?
2. Machiavellianism-Born out of Machiavelli’s philosophy and is not a mental
health disorder.
Machiavellianism is marked by manipulation –
A calculating,
Duplicitous, and amoral personality,
Focused on self-interest and personal gain
Take Lying to new high
It came about because critics felt that 16th century Italian Diplomat
Machiavelli”s book ‘The Prince,’ condoned cunning, deceit, and self-
interest.
The book said that these qualities were necessary for political gain.
3. Psychopathy-Not anti-social personality disorder (ASPD)
Psychopathy is distinguished by
Callousness,
Impulsivity, and
 Enduring antisocial and bold behavior.
 Have no feelings for others ,because they have no remorse,
(Note:Having these qualities does not make a person a psychopath. Psychopaths are
criminals. Though those with psychopathic qualities are unpredictable, they are
not necessarily criminals.)
•A study shows that Dark Triad traits are not hereditary but due to environmental
factors.
•Those who have the Dark Triad tend to show behaviors that blend the worst of
the three worlds.
•They have many relationships, often behind their partners’ backs.
• They are also aggressive.

6. Common Dark Triad Traits
 To varying degrees, all
 Act aggressively out of self-interest and
 Lack empathy and remorse.
 Are skilled at manipulation and exploit and deceive others, though
their motivations and tactics vary.
 They violate social norms and moral values and lie, deceive, cheat,
steal, and bully.
 It’s thought that genetic factors underlie their personality to some
degree.
 Machiavellianism and psychopathy are more closely correlated due to
their malicious behavior;
 Narcissists are defensive and more fragile because their grandiosity
and arrogance is a façade for deeper feelings of inadequacy.
 Men outnumber women, primarily when psychopathic traits were
measured (i.e., not just deceit, manipulation, etc.).
 This difference is linked to the overt antisocial behavior associated with
psychopathy, suggesting that it may be due to biological factors, such as
testosterone, as well as social norms.

7. Common Dark Triad Traits
 All three types (narcissism to a lesser degree) scored
low on agreeableness, measured by the Big Five
personality test that assesses extraversion, neuroticism,
agreeableness, conscientiousness, and openness.
 Agreeableness differs from charm and charisma.
 It involves trustworthiness, unselfishness,
straightforwardness, compliance, kindness, and
modesty, which are essential for good relationships.
 Machiavellians and psychopaths are more lacking in
conscientiousness. (Why work when you can cheat and
steal!)
 Psychopaths have the lowest level of neuroticism or
negative emotions, which makes them the most sinister.
 Predictably, narcissists scored were more open and
much more extroverted.
 Openness correlates with evidence that narcissists
tend to be creative.

8. Correlations of the Dark Triad with the Big
Five, cognitive ability, and self-enhancement

9. Deception
 All three personalities lack
 Honesty and
 Humility, which includes
 Sincerity,
 Faithfulness,
 Lack of greed, and
 Fairness.
 A study of cheating revealed that all three cheat when
the risk of getting caught is low.
 When the risk is high, psychopaths and Machiavellians
(when their energy for thinking is low) cheat.
 Both will intentionally lie.
 Narcissists have high levels of self-deception rather
than intentional dishonesty.

10. Psychosocial Consequences
 The comparative research examined a variety of behaviors, including
 Aggression (bullying, sadism, aggression, and violence),
 Erratic lifestyle (impulsivity, risk-taking, and substance use),
 Sexual activity (bizarre fantasies, infidelity, and sexual harassment),
 Socio-emotional deficits (lack of empathy, low emotional intelligence, and theory of
mind, i.e., to attribute own and others’ mental states),
 Poor well-being (depression, loneliness, and stress),
 Interpersonal problems (dominance, entitlement, and self-aggrandizement),
 Immorality (lack of values, “deadly sins,” and moral disengagement, i.e. “standards
don’t apply to me”), and
 Antisocial tactics (cheating, lying, and negative humor).
 Machiavellians and psychopaths scored higher in these psychosocial issues;
 Psychopaths twice as high as narcissists.
 The highest scores were among psychopaths, with aggression being the
highest trait.
 Narcissists scored in the categories of aggression, sexual issues,
interpersonal difficulties, and antisocial tactics.
 Among all three personalities, most of the high scores were due to
psychopathic traits.
 When those were controlled (removed), narcissism still accounted for
interpersonal difficulties.

11. Callousness
 On examining affective empathy,(Ability to have an
appropriate emotional response to others’ emotions), and
cognitive empathy(The ability to discern others’ emotional
states.) it was found that
 All three personality types lacked affective empathy, but had
unimpaired cognitive empathy.
 Creepily, all three felt positive looking at sad faces and felt
negative seeing happy images.
 Narcissists and psychopaths also felt good seeing angry
faces.
 Psychopaths liked seeing fearful faces.
 Overall empathy was lowest among psychopaths and
Machiavellians,
 However anyone high on any of the three personality profiles
had the lowest affective empathy.
 Narcissists scored highest on cognitive empathy.
 The fact that these people are insensitive to others feelings,
while retaining the ability to assess others’ emotions, allows
them to strategically manipulate people, while ignoring the
harm they inflict.

12. How Would You Know That Someone Has the Dark
Triad?
 The first step to coping with someone who has the Dark Triad is to recognize its
signs being complex.Psychologists are still trying to understand them.
 The Dirty Dozen Scale, created by psychology professors Dr. Peter Jonason and
Gregory Webster, shows if a person has the Dark Triad.
1. I manipulate others.
2. I lie to others.
3. I flatter others.
4. I use others for my gain.
5. I lack remorse.
6. I am not concerned about the morality of my actions.
7. I am mean and insensitive.
8. I am a cynical person.
9. I need the admiration of others.
10. I crave attention.
11. I want favors from others.
12. I seek status and prestige.
 The total score can range from 12 to 84, but you can also break down the scales
into the three traits as follows: Machiavellianism= 1, 5, 7, 10; Psychopathy= 2, 4, 6,
9; Narcissism= 3, 8, 11, 12.
 Among the college students tested in a later, validational, study Webster and
Jonason (2013) report an average of about 36, with most people scoring
between 33 and 39, meaning that anyone scoring upwards of 45 would be
considered very high on the Dark Triad total.

13. How to Deal with People with Dark Triad Traits?
 We can reduce their negativity
 People with these qualities have difficulty managing their anger.
 Those with psychopathic traits, for example, are bad-tempered.
 At work, their anger may show in passive-aggressive behaviors like
ignoring people or sulking.
 These behavior are often not about you hence do not take
personally.
 Take some time to listen to their concerns and counsel them about
their behavior.
 Stand your ground.
 If they are bullies, confront them and hold them responsible.
 Avoid contact whenever possible.
 Use emails if you need to get in touch with them.
 People with the Dark Triad are often charming.
 Experts suggest that they rely on their looks to get their way.
 Those who had Dark Triad traits were more successful at face-to-face
negotiations.
 The Dark Triad, in conclusion, can ruin relationships.
 You can cope with it if you recognize it.
 Being assertive and savvy also helps.