Class 34
The Dark Triad of Personality
The Dark Triad NARCISSIST MACHIAVELLIAN PSYCHOPATH Standard measures intercorrelate in the + .20 to +.50 range The Dark Triad
First distinguished by Paulhus & Williams (2002) Narcissist: egotistical attention-seeker Machiavellian: strategic manipulation Psychopath: impulsive thrill-seeker
What is the common factor? P callousness
CLINICAL LEVEL -serious problems -requires professional intervention SUB-CLINICAL LEVEL -mild version, can manage in everyday society -BUT maladaptive because aversive to others
Psychopath
Clinical version key features: impulsive & callous Most of adult life spent in prison
Subclinical Version The Successful Psychopath: milder or paired with a desirable attribute Has avoided prison – so far Dark Niches: Bullies, nasty bosses Either milder version or cases where an over-riding asset precludes prison.
Hockey Goons paid big salary to be nasty often nasty outside of sport Impulsively reckless and callous
e.g., drill instructors in military paid to toughen you up
Narcissist
Clinical Version SYNDROME Sense of superiority Constant bragging Feels entitled to superior treatment Needs attention WHY? Deep insecurity
Sub-clinical Version
Begins with conceit – i.e., true belief? SYNDROME Begins with conceit – i.e., true belief? Usually have some desirable attribute e.g., admired celebrities Acquired narcissism? Can encourage destructive behavior
Examples – harmless? Charlie Sheen Lindsay Lohan
Not so harmless ? Donald Trump
The Machiavellian
Niccolo Machiavelli
history Advisor to the Medici family in Italy (ca. 1500) To succeed in politics, you must manipulate others TACTICS: e.g., flatter important people EXCUSE: Most people are ignorant and deserve to be manipulated
Sun-Tzu: The Art of War (ca. 500 B.C.) Ancient Precedent Sun-Tzu: The Art of War (ca. 500 B.C.) Winning battles is all about preparation. Knowing the foe.
Financial manipulator Bernie Madoff Cheated more people out of more money than any person in history Financial manipulator
Relations among the DARK TRIAD: Q: are they actually the same person Relations among the DARK TRIAD: Q: are they actually the same person? A: No, but positively correlated Q: Are they mutually exclusive? A: No, they can be found in the same person.
OUR RESEARCH Designed to differentiate the Dark Triad Used questionnaires to predict actual behavior
B. Plagiarizing term papers Machiavellians WHO CHEATS ? A. Copying answers during exams Subclinical psychopaths B. Plagiarizing term papers Machiavellians
WHO AGGRESSES? Jones & Paulhus study (2013)
white noise paradigm Advertised as Competitive Game Study
Results DEPENDS ON PROVOCATION Narcissists aggressed after being insulted Psychopaths aggressed after being attacked
CONCLUSIONS
Summary of D3 Features Narcissists feel entitled to privileged treatment Psychopaths impulsively hurt others Machiavellians manipulate to get what they want All are callous
They can co-occur Hitler Stalin Gadhafi