Today's Thursday • 8 mins read
Psychology labels dark personalities as those who manipulate, exploit, and harm without remorse. The term “dark” implies an insensitive and cruel disregard for others.
Three such traits form the Dark Triad: narcissism, psychopathy, and Machiavellianism. Researchers later added a fourth trait, sadism, to form the Dark Tetrad.
At their core, dark personality traits share an antagonistic interpersonal orientation (Vize, Lynam, Collison, & Miller, 2016).
The Dark Triad: Three Dark Personalities
The “Dark Triad” includes socially aversive personalities: subclinical psychopathy, subclinical narcissism, and Machiavellianism [Paulhus & Williams, 2002].
1. Narcissism: The Self-Obsessed
Narcissists see and believe they are superior to everyone around. They feel entitled to special treatment or recognition just for being there.
They build grand self-images that require constant validation. They crave constant admiration. And when they don’t get those, they react with rage or cold dismissal.
Narcissists use relationships as tools for self-enhancement. They lack true empathy, though they can fake it when necessary.
Their grandiosity isn’t confidence; it’s a fragile facade that needs constant reinforcement. Inside their grandiose self-image lies fragile self-worth.
Research shows narcissists often seek leadership roles and thrive on social media, where they showcase their perceived greatness [McCain & Campbell, 2018].
They excel at first impressions but struggle with lasting relationships because their selfishness drives others away.
2. Machiavellianism: The Cold Strategist
Machiavellianism is primarily a manipulative personality trait. It’s named after Niccolò Machiavelli, who wrote a book on political manipulation, “The Prince.”
Machiavellians manipulate people with calculated precision, using people as chess pieces.
They see the world cynically. They believe everyone is selfish and dishonest. This justifies their own manipulation.
Machiavellians think several steps ahead. They use charm, deception, and alliances to reach their goals.
Unlike narcissists, they don’t seek admiration; Machiavellians desire control. So they stay emotionally detached from their target.
A Machiavellian may act friendly to extract information and then discard you when you’re no longer useful. They are patient, pragmatic, and efficient.
Studies show Machiavellians thrive in competitive environments like business and politics, where strategic thinking and emotional detachment are key [Dahling et al., 2009]. They are less impulsive than narcissists and focus on long-term gains.
3. Psychopathy: The Fearless Predator
Psychopathy is the most dangerous of the three dark traits. Psychopaths combine fearlessness with a lack of empathy and remorse.
Psychopathy is associated with low neuroticism (low anxiety). They feel shallow emotions and little anxiety about consequences.
Psychopaths engage in risky behavior without fear (“fear blindness”). They understand that harming others is wrong, but they don’t feel it.
Brain studies show reduced activity in areas linked to emotional processing and moral decision-making [Kiehl, 2006].
Charm is a hallmark of psychopathy. Psychopaths often appear charismatic and confident. They use these traits to manipulate and exploit others.
They lie effortlessly, feel no guilt or remorse when caught, and quickly move on to new targets.
More psychopaths live outside the prison than inside. They are called high-functioning psychopaths.
Psychopaths who don’t end up in jail often become CEOs, surgeons, or lawyers. They use their fearlessness and ruthlessness to build socially acceptable careers [Babiak & Hare, 2006].
The Dark Tetrad: Adding Sadistic Personality
Recent research introduced a fourth trait, sadism, to expand it to the dark tetrad.
The Dark Tetrad recognizes that some people derive genuine pleasure from causing pain and suffering [Buckels, Jones & Paulhus, 2013].
This sets sadists apart from the other three of the dark triad. The other three dark personalities use cruelty for power, status, or material gain.
Sadists come with the pure intent of harming others for pleasure. They enjoy making and seeing others suffer.
For sadists, cruelty is the purpose and goal, as researchers found.
“Only sadists were willing to work for the opportunity to hurt an innocent person. Sadism emerged as an independent predictor of behavior reflecting an appetite for cruelty.” – Buckels & Jones, 2014
Online trolling offers a glimpse into everyday sadism. Those who engage in malicious online behavior often score high on sadism measures. They invest time and effort into hurting others because it entertains them.
12 Core Traits of Dark Personalities
Each dark triad shows distinct antisocial traits, yet they share common ones: callousness, hostility, tendency to exploit others, dishonesty, disagreeableness, and extreme self-interest.
- Antisocial outcomes (trait-specific). Psychopathy uniquely predicts wide-ranging antisocial behaviors; Machiavellianism and narcissism generally do not.
- Tendency toward aggression (physical, verbal, relational). Higher likelihood of harming others directly, insulting them, or damaging relationships and reputations.
- Manipulativeness and callousness. Strategic use of deception or coercion combined with indifference to others’ feelings.
- Reduced empathic concern. Diminished compassion and care despite often intact cognitive perspective-taking.
- Prejudice toward outgroups. Greater hostility or negative bias against people perceived as outsiders.
- Promiscuity and intimately exploitative behavior. Short-term mating strategies, low sexual restraint, and a higher likelihood of exploiting partners.
- Antagonistic interpersonal orientation / Low agreeableness. Treat others as tools or obstacles; hostile, uncooperative, and unsympathetic in social situations. Usually score low on agreeableness and honesty–humility.
- Social dominance. Desire for status, control, and influence; often expressed through assertive or domineering behavior.
- Low conscientiousness (trait-specific). Machiavellianism and psychopathy are linked to low conscientiousness. This often leads to impulsive actions and poor long-term planning.
- Self-enhancement. Narcissists show the strongest self-enhancement. Psychopaths show moderate self-enhancement, and Machiavellians show little or none.
- High extraversion and openness (trait-specific). Narcissism and psychopathy show higher extraversion and openness, fitting an unmitigated-agency profile.
- Intelligence pattern. Narcissism has a small positive correlation with overall IQ. Psychopathy and Machiavellianism link to higher nonverbal scores compared to verbal ones. This is especially true for psychopathic white males.
“Despite their diverse origins, the personalities composing this ‘Dark Triad’ share a number of features. To varying degrees, all three involve a socially malevolent character with behavior tendencies toward self-promotion, emotional coldness, duplicity, and aggressiveness.” – Delroy Paulhus & Kevin Williams (2002)
Some people can show traits from multiple categories.
- Machiavellianism with narcissism (McHoskey, 1995).
- Narcissism with psychopathy (Gustafson & Ritzer, 1995).
- Machiavellianism with psychopathy (McHoskey, Worzel, & Szyarto, 1998)
These combinations create unique behaviors. For example, psychopathic sadists can mix fearlessness with pleasure in cruelty.
Why These Traits Persist
- Narcissists are emotionally reactive and status-obsessed.
- Machiavellians are highly calculating and patient.
- Psychopaths are fear-blind and impulsive.
- Sadists seek to make others suffer.
Evolutionary psychologists suggest these dark traits can sometimes offer survival advantages. In certain situations, manipulation, fearlessness, and self-promotion help people gain resources and reproductive mates [Jonason et al., 2009].
The key phrase is “certain situations.”
In stable, cooperative societies, dark personalities often harm their long-term interests. They damage relationships, create enmities, and face legal issues.
In unstable or highly competitive environments, however, their strategies might succeed.
Of course, this doesn’t excuse harmful behavior. Understanding the evolutionary origins of dark traits does not imply moral justification. Many traits that once helped now cause harm in modern society.
Recognizing Dark Personalities
Spotting these traits requires looking for patterns, not just isolated acts. Everyone can sometimes act selfishly or strategically. Dark personalities do it consistently and without remorse.
Warning signs: chronic lying, emotional manipulation, lack of empathy for those suffering, grandiose self-views, exploiting relationships, impulsive risk-taking, and enjoying others’ pain.
Professional assessments use validated tools like the Narcissistic Personality Inventory, the Mach-IV scale, and various psychopathy checklists.
That said, self-report measures have limitations. Those with dark traits often lack insight or misrepresent themselves.
Impact of Dark Personalities On Others
People dealing with dark personalities often feel confused, suffer low self-worth, get codependent, and experience complex PTSD-like symptoms.
This is often due to gaslighting, blame-shifting, belittlement, emotional or psychological manipulation, or other chronic abuse and boundary violations.
The damage extends beyond individual victims.
Organizations led by dark personalities suffer from toxic cultures. They often have low morale, widespread distrust, reputational damage, insubordination, ethical breaches, poor decision-making, low productivity, and high turnover.
Societies with leaders high in dark traits face corruption, oppression, and decay.
- Further Reading: Thomaes, S., & Brummelman, E. (2017). The dark personality and psychopathology. Journal of Abnormal Psychology.
Final Words
Many people have some self-interest, calmness under stress, or manipulative traits. What counts is how much and how often these traits appear.
Dark personalities belong at the extreme ends of the dark traits spectrum. They have a pervasive lack of empathy, conscience, and prosocial values.
Expect repeated harm from such individuals. Worse, if sadistic tendencies exist, the risk and severity increase. This is because they enjoy causing distress.
Recognizing dark patterns is critical for self-preservation. You can’t reliably change people with entrenched dark traits. So limit their access to your life, resources, and trust.
Do you think psychopaths can fall in love? After all, many psychopaths have families and romantic partners.
√ Also Read: Dark Empath: 8 Traits of This Dangerous Personality
√ Please share this with someone.
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