The Dark Triad
Narcissism:
The word narcissist has its root in Greek Mythology and the story of Narcissus. Narcissus saw himself in a reflection in a pond and was enamoured with himself. He was so fixated on himself that he fell into the pond and drowned.
Narcissism can be defined as an over inflated view of self. Highly narcissistic people will be very concerned about their image. They may appear charming but over time, developing relationships with them is extremely difficult. They are very prideful and do not respond well to criticism. Usually narcissists lack empathy and would not hesitate to manipulate someone for their gain.
I believe social media has pushed up narcissistic tendencies in us as we compete for attention and try to rack up likes/comments/views. Spend a few minutes on TikTok (if you dare) and you’ll probably find a couple people who appear to rank quite high in this trait.
Machiavellianism
This word gets its origin from Niccolo Machiavelli, the author of the famous book “The Prince”. Scholars believed that the book condoned lying, manipulation and gross self-interest in the pursuit of political gain. People high in this trait may be quite cunning. It’s more difficult to define this one trait as its practical outworking is broad, but the dictionary did a good job summarizing:
the political theory of Machiavelli especially: the view that politics is amoral and that any means however unscrupulous can justifiably be used in achieving political power
Psycopathy
First things first. It’s important you are aware of the fact that people who drink their coffee black are apparently more prone to psychopathic tendencies. I’m sure the replication crisis doesn’t apply to this study.
Psychopaths have little to no empathy for others or remorse for their actions. They can be very anti-social, unpredictable and controlling. Psychopaths often have criminal tendencies.
Thanks for the definition, now how do I watch out for these people?
I will tell you how to find a person that has all three of these traits. Go to your bathroom, and check above the sink.
Hopefully you have a mirror in your bathroom and caught a glimpse at yourself, full of dark triad potential.
Like The Big Five traits, we likely all experience various degrees of Dark Triad traits. Let’s be brutally honest and admit there are times we think too highly of ourselves, or are willing to manipulate for our benefit. I’m reminded of one of my favourite quotes:
If only it were all so simple! If only there were evil people somewhere insidiously committing evil deeds, and it were necessary only to separate them from the rest of us and destroy them. But the line dividing good and evil cuts through the heart of every human being. And who is willing to destroy a piece of his own heart?
Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn
There are some questions you could ask yourself or of someone else to help identify if they rank particularly high in these traits. The questions are called the dirty dozen.
- I manipulate others.
- I lie to others.
- I flatter others.
- I use others for my gain.
- I lack remorse.
- I am not concerned about the morality of my actions.
- I am mean and insensitive.
- I am a cynical person.
- I need the admiration of others.
- I crave attention.
- I want favors from others.
- I seek status and prestige.