The Dark Triad Theory of Personality

Topic of the month: Dark Triad

Book: The Dark Triad of Personality: Narcissism, Machiavellianism, and Psychopathy in Everyday Life by Minna Lyons

Research Article: Yin, K., Li, D., Zhang, X., Dong, N., & Sheldon, O. J. (2023). The influence of the Big Five and Dark Triad personality constructs on knowledge sharing: A meta-analysis. Personality and Individual Differences, 214, 112353.

Keywords: Dark Triad, Machiavellianism, narcissism, psychopathy, Big Five personality traits, openness to experience, conscientiousness, extraversion, agreeableness, neuroticism, knowledge sharing, emotional stability

Today is Halloween. As you prepare to hand out candy to eager trick-or-treaters (and maybe snag a few pieces for yourself), consider the ironic contrast between the act of giving and the haunting atmosphere of the day created by ghosts, ghouls, mummies, and vampires.

While Halloween provides a lighthearted example of being aware of evil yet choosing to do good, how does this principle apply to our everyday life?

Let us explore the concept of the Dark Triad.

Defining the Dark Triad

The Dark Triad is a psychological theory of personality that describes three notably offensive, but non-pathological personality types (Paulhus & Williams, 2002). The three personality types are:

• Machiavellianism - Machiavellian individuals are manipulative and self-serving, using others to their own advantage.
• Narcissism - Narcissists have an inflated sense of self-importance, seeking admiration and lacking empathy.
• Psychopathy - Psychopaths are characterized by a lack of empathy, disregard for rules, and impulsive behavior.

Each of these personality types is called dark because each is considered to contain malevolent qualities.

The term "Machiavellianism" comes from the name of Italian philosopher Niccolo Machiavelli. His most famous work, "The Prince," is a political treatise that advocates for the use of manipulation and deceit to gain and maintain political power, even if it requires unethical behavior.

While these traits are often studied individually, research indicates that they can be interconnected and reinforce one another. For example, a narcissistic individual may also exhibit Machiavellian tendencies in their pursuit of power and control.

The Big Five Personality Traits

The Big Five model is a widely used framework for understanding personality traits. The five dimensions are:

• Openness to Experience - This trait reflects a person's tendency to be curious and open to new ideas and experiences.
• Conscientiousness - This trait reflects a person's tendency to be disciplined, organized, and goal-oriented.
• Extraversion - This trait reflects a person's tendency to be assertive, sociable, and outgoing.
• Agreeableness - This trait reflects a person's tendency to be trusting, cooperative, and compassionate.
• Neuroticism - This trait reflects a person's tendency to experience negative emotions such as anger and sadness.

The acronyms OCEAN or CANOE can be used to help remember the five dimensions.

Research

The relationship between the Big Five and the Dark Triad is complex. For example, a person with high openness to experience may also score high on Machiavellianism. Luckily, research can help us to make sense of some of the complexities.

Knowledge sharing refers to the extent to which people proactively share or exchange their knowledge with others in their company (Bock, Zmud, Kim, & Lee, 2005). This includes coworkers, managers, and subordinates.

One study conducted a meta-analysis of 64 studies on knowledge sharing. The researchers investigated the association between individuals' knowledge sharing and a combination of the Dark Triad and Big Five personality constructs, although they looked at emotional stability rather than neuroticism (Yin, Li, Zhang, Dong, & Sheldon, 2023).

Practical Implications for Managers

The researchers lay out useful insights for mangers seeking to promote knowledge sharing among their employees:

1. The findings demonstrate that the Big Five traits are significantly positively related to knowledge sharing, while Machiavellianism in particular is significantly negatively related to knowledge sharing.
2. The researchers suggest that managers can use personality assessment tools as a means to better screen for the desired character traits that they are looking for among their employees.
3. The findings emphasize the impact of cultural differences on relationships between personality constructs and knowledge sharing.

To date, not enough research has considered the effects of cultural differences even though they likely impact the magnitude of the relationship between knowledge sharing and personality constructs (Yin et al., 2023).

The Bottom Line

Understanding the relationship between the Dark Triad and the Big Five personality traits can help us to better understand human behavior and personality. This understanding can help us to identify people who exhibit or may be at risk for negative behaviors such as exploitation, aggression, and bullying. People who work in fields such as HR, law enforcement, or therapy may find knowledge of the Dark Triad to be especially beneficial.

Of course, it is important to note that not everyone who scores high on Dark Triad traits is inherently harmful. Many people with these traits can and do function normally in society. However, understanding these traits can help us to identify potential red flags and take necessary precautions.

As always, thank you for your support of my mission to help make I/O topics, concepts, and ideas more accessible to all. I/O Psychology has a marketing problem, and I believe that it is my obligation as an aspiring I/O professor to fix that.

References

Bock, G. W., Zmud, R. W., Kim, Y. G., & Lee, J. N. (2005). Behavioral intention formation in knowledge sharing: Examining the roles of extrinsic motivators, social-psychological forces, and organizational climate. MIS quarterly, 87-111.

Machiavelli, N. (1993). The prince (1513). Hertfordshire: Wordsworth Editions.

Paulhus, D. L., & Williams, K. M. (2002). The dark triad of personality: Narcissism, Machiavellianism, and psychopathy. Journal of research in personality, 36(6), 556-563.

Yin, K., Li, D., Zhang, X., Dong, N., & Sheldon, O. J. (2023). The influence of the Big Five and Dark Triad personality constructs on knowledge sharing: A meta-analysis. Personality and Individual Differences, 214, 112353.