What is the “dark triad of personality” and how to identify it in people?

Some say that the signs of the dark triad of personality are almost like the Bermuda triangle.: a trap, a dimension as unique as it is dangerous. The reason for this lies in a very simple fact: this type of profile is guided only by instrumental purposes. That is, when he wants something, he does not hesitate to violate other people’s rights to achieve his own objectives.

When Donald Trump came to power in January 2017, many mental health professionals warned that, perhaps, The new president of the United States could score significantly on a dark triad test. It is clear that we will never know this because there is no data nor has any type of test been applied to confirm such a conclusion.

However, there is no shortage of those who see features that point in this direction. Narcissism, the lack of respect for the thoughts and ideas of others, the use or manipulation of the media to achieve personal benefit, could be more than simple coincidences…

There is even an interesting study published in a journal of Personality Psychology by Dr. Anil Balci in the same year he came to power, in which this idea is analyzed and data is offered that would support this possibility.

Be that as it may, there is an obvious fact. Sometimes we look at prominent figures. However, This clinical entity that essentially summarizes the most malevolent traits of the human being may be present in certain people in our environment.. What’s more, in the field of psychology it is known that this type of profile is common in the organizational field.

So, People in leadership positions are the ones who, on average, are most likely to show dark triad traits.. Let’s see it below.

Signs of the dark triad of personality

The dark triad is a term that emerged in the 90s. Now, it was the studies and description of psychologists Paulhus and Williams from the University of British Columbia, who coined this dimension in 2002. Now, it is worth noting an important aspect.

When we talk about the dark triad we are not referring to a personality disorder; They are a set of subclinical traits that define a type of adverse behavior that generates great discomfort in the environment.

A person who scores high on the dark triad test will generate a psychosocial impact in every scenario in which he or she moves.. Thus, both family relationships, emotional relationships and those related to work are affected by these antisocial tactics that these men and women use. Let’s now analyze the signs of the dark triad.

Narcissism

Narcissism is one of the most obvious characteristics of the dark triad. The main core of this trait is selfishness and that constant need to have visibility, power and admiration.

In addition, they usually show the ability to captivate people. They show a great power of seduction, they are friendly, they shine at parties, at meetings and always manage to capture attention due to their extroverted nature. However, that charm has a catch; It is an instrumental goal to climb their ranks, to have alliances, to achieve their goals.

On the other hand, it is important to remember what your Achilles heel is: low self-esteem.

Machiavellianism

Machiavellianism differs in one aspect from narcissism: they do not use appearances, they do not captivate or seduce.. Hence, they tend to impress with their instrumental coldness and, above all, their manipulative effectiveness. In this sense, it is common that one of the signs of the dark triad is the lack of empathy and that insatiable search to achieve what they want.

The person with dark triad traits may appear friendly and charming at first, thus fulfilling the perfect profile of a narcissist. However, If those kinder qualities do not work, a true Machiavelli will emerge, where emotional coldness is evident. to achieve your goal.

Psychopathy

The psychopathic personality is that third level that makes up the signs of the dark triad. Now, let us remember that this dimension does not refer to a psychological disorder. We are only talking about one type of personality, therefore, psychopathic traits are usually evident in the following way:

Emotional insensitivity.Antisocial behavior (they do not hesitate to break legal, ethical and even moral codes). Impulsivity. Predisposition to boredom, they constantly need reinforcements and new stimuli.Lack of remorse and ethical-moral sense.Lack of commitment in social and emotional relationships; many even show sexual promiscuity.

How is the dark triad evaluated?

We know that the signs of the dark triad of personality form a wide spectrum. Does this mean that a person should score high on both narcissism, Machiavellianism, and psychopathy? Indeed, the score should be positive in all areas, but there are nuances. To make an adequate evaluation, the Jonason and Webster scale is usually used..

In it, it can be seen that, On average, there is always one area more significant than others. An example: in a study carried out by Webster and Jonason (2013) in various universities in the United States, it could be seen that there are many who give a higher score in the narcissistic area.

Now, what this scale also reveals is that The most dangerous profile within the dark triad of personality is the one that shows a higher score in the area of ​​psychopathy. In this case, this is when the most harmful and adverse behaviors appear.

As we see, this is a topic as interesting as it is disturbing, especially if we take into account what psychoanalyst Michael Maccoby tells us: The dark triad of personality is increasingly common in the highest positions in business..

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