A Critical Appraisal of the Dark-Triad Literature and Suggestions for Moving Forward

@article{Miller2019ACA,
  title={A Critical Appraisal of the Dark-Triad Literature and Suggestions for Moving Forward},
  author={Joshua D. Miller and Colin E. Vize and Michael L. Crowe and Donald R. Lynam},
  journal={Current Directions in Psychological Science},
  year={2019},
  volume={28},
  pages={353 - 360}
}
Since its introduction in 2002, dark-triad research—the simultaneous study of psychopathy, narcissism, and Machiavellianism—has exploded, with the publication of hundreds of peer-reviewed articles, books, and chapters, as well as coverage by the lay media. Unfortunately, several limitations to this research are unrecognized or ignored. These limitations include (a) the treatment of dark-triad constructs as unidimensional, contrary to evidence for their multidimensionality; (b) the… 
View on SAGE
68 Citations
Highly Influential Citations
1
Background Citations
9
Methods Citations
1

68 Citations

Citation Type

Citation Type

The Latent structure of the Dark Triad : unifying Machiavellianism and psychopathy
The Latent Structure of the Dark Triad: Unifying Machiavellianism and Psychopathy The Dark Triad (DT) has emerged as a popular extension to the extant literature on personality psychology. The DT is…
Centrality and redundancy of the Dark Tetrad traits
Does Machiavellianism meaningfully differ from psychopathy? It depends.
TLDR
Evaluating the super-short form of the Five Factor Machiavellianism Inventory (FFMI-SSF) in relation to psychopathy and basic personality traits and to compare it to widely used measures of the DT and psychopathy in a large undergraduate sample.
The good, the bad, and the ugly: Revisiting the Dark Core
The aim of this research (N = 268) was to explore several compelling candidates for the Dark Core of the broader set of dark and light traits by using network analysis and analyses of shared…
Using Item-level Analyses to Better Understand the Consequences of Partialing Procedures: An Example Using the Dark Triad.
TLDR
The results indicate that there are important issues that arise when using partialing procedures, including replicability issues surrounding residual variables, as well as finer-grained analysis of residual variable content.
Creativity and the Dark Triad: A meta-analysis
Associations between Dark Triad and Ambivalent Sexism: Sex Differences among Adolescents
TLDR
The structural equation modeling of the bifactorial model, characterized by a global latent factor that encompasses the common characteristics of DT—along with the three specific factors of Machiavellianism, psychopathy, and narcissism—showed that theglobal latent factor of DT was related to both hostile and benevolent sexism in males and females.
The darker angels of our nature: Do social worldviews mediate the associations that dark personality features have with ideological attitudes?
Validation of the Five-Factor Model Antagonistic Triad Measure.
TLDR
FFMI-SSF showed better divergence from measures of psychopathy and better convergence with the expert Five-Factor Model (FFM) Machiavellianism profile than did existing Machiavelianism measures, underscoring the utility of the multifaceted assessment of these three constructs.
wThe tangled webs they weave: A scoping review of deception detection and production in relation to Dark Triad traits.
...
...

References

SHOWING 1-10 OF 34 REFERENCES
Theoretical and empirical concerns regarding the dark triad as a construct.
TLDR
The authors provide empirical evidence from a large, correctional sample to demonstrate that a latent Dark Triad could not be estimated using confirmatory factor analysis because more than 100% of the variance was attributed to psychopathy.
Perils of Partialing Redux: The Case of the Dark Triad
TLDR
It is argued that bivariate relations be given preferential treatment, given their more direct ties to the assessments, and that if multivariate approaches are to be used, they must be accompanied by strong theory about the components of DT constructs.
The Nature and Correlates of the Dark Triad: The Answers Depend on the Questions
TLDR
These findings raise serious questions regarding the standard model of DT research and suggest that the questions posed regarding the correlates of DT constructs hinge crucially on the specific DT measure and subdimension examined.
The Dark Triad of Personality: A 10 Year Review
Ten years ago Paulhus and Williams (2002) called attention to the 'Dark Triad', a constellation of three conceptually distinct but empirically overlapping personality variables. The three members --…
The dirty dozen: a concise measure of the dark triad.
TLDR
The authors developed and validated a concise, 12-item measure of the Dark Triad: narcissism, psychopathy, Machiavellianism, which retained its core of disagreeableness, short-term mating, and aggressiveness.
Differences Among Dark Triad Components: A Meta-Analytic Investigation
TLDR
It is argued that the current literature on Machiavellianism may be better understood as a secondary psychopathy literature and future directions for DT research are discussed in light of the meta-analytic results.
Psychopathy and Machiavellianism: A Distinction Without a Difference?
TLDR
In both studies, MACH and psychopathy manifested nearly identical empirical profiles and both were significantly related to disinhibitory traits thought to be antithetical to MACH.
The Malevolent Side of Human Nature
TLDR
The findings show that dark triad traits are substantially intercorrelated, somewhat more prevalent among men than women, predominantly related to the Big Five personality factor of agreeableness and the HEXACO factor of honesty-humility, and generally associated with various types of negative psychosocial outcomes.
Searching for a vulnerable dark triad: comparing Factor 2 psychopathy, vulnerable narcissism, and borderline personality disorder.
Paulhus and Williams (2002) identified a "Dark Triad" comprising the following related personality styles: narcissism, psychopathy, and Machiavellianism. The heterogeneity found in narcissism and…
Insight and the Dark Triad: Comparing Self- and Meta-perceptions in Relation to Psychopathy, Narcissism, and Machiavellianism
TLDR
While self-reports and meta-perceptions are closely related, the latter perspective provides some incremental validity with regard to the constructs that comprise the Dark Triad, according to multiple regression analyses.
...
...