Lecture 5 - The Dark Triad of Personality

Antisocial characteristics of psychopathy

Poor behaviour controls Early behaviour problems Juvenile delinquency Revocation of conditional release Criminal versatility

Define psychoticism

Predisposition to criminality, psychopathy, and schizophrenia (Eysenck and Eysenck, 1976) Individuals high on P = impersonal, emotionally indifferent, lacking empathy and remorse Deficits are reflected in impulsivity, recklessness, and antisociality (Eysenck, 1992)

Define psychopathy

Appear as normal, charming Underneath, lack conscience and tend to be impulsive, manipulative and often (not always) criminal Impervious to treatment, difficult to detect Used interchangeably with 'sociopath'

Define subclinical psychopathy

Central character elements include high impulsivity and thrill-seeking along with low empathy and anxiety Lacks some of the more severe antisocial behaviours (e.g. criminal behaviours)

The MACH IV Scale

Christie and Geis (1970)

Define narcissistic abuse

Detesting those who do not admire them

Who was Machiavelli?

Diplomat and philosopher in renaissance Notorious book "The Prince" espoused his views that strong rulers should be harsh with their subjects and enemies Glory and survival justified any means, even ones that were considered immoral and brutal

Hare (1991) psychopathy checklist [PCL-R score]

E.g. Glib and superficial Grandiose estimation of self Need for stimulation Pathological lying Cunning and manipulative Lack of remorse or guilt

Define narcissistic supply

Flattery towards people who admire and affirm them

Signs of Machiavellianism

Focus solely on own interests and ambitions Prioritise power and money over relationships Appear charming and confident Exploit and manipulate others to get ahead Lie and deceive when required Use flattery often Lacking in principles and values Cynical of goodness and morality

Interpersonal characteristics of psychopaths

Glib and superficial charm Grandiose sense of self-worth Pathalogical lying Conning and manipulation

Define narcissitic rage

Hypersensitivity to imagined insults

Affective characteristics of psychopaths

Lack of remorse/guilt Shallow affect Callous lack of empathy Failure to accept responsibility

Evidence for the Dark Triad

Links among the 3 have been supported in clinical samples (e.g. Hart, 1998) Now evidence suggests this construct exists in 'non-clinical' populations (e.g. Furnham, Richards, and Paulhus, 2013)

Define Narcissistic Personality Disorder

Long-standing pattern of grandiosity (either fantasy or actual behaviour), an overwhelming need for admiration and usually need for admiration. Usually complete lack of empathy toward others

Christie and Geis (1970)

Machiavellianism Measure siggested normal personality by demonstrating reliable differences in how respondents agreed with the items Further research showed respondents who agreed with these statements more likely to behave in a cold and manipulative manner in lab studies

What is the dark triad?

Machiavellianism Subclinical narcissism Subclinical psychopathy

Define machiavellianism

Manipulative personality Emerged from a selection of statements from Machiavelli's original books from Christie and Geis (1970)

Criticism of MACHS

No firmly established relationships with forms of intelligence; - Unrelated to IQ (Jones and Paulhus, 2009) - Negative correlations with emotional intelligence and emotion recognition (Leary and Hoyle, 2009) So, if high MACHS are skilled at manipulation, isn't related to any superior cognitive ability

Define subclinical narcissism

Raskin and Hall (1979) arrived at 'normal' construct of narcissism from the DSM- defined disorder Facets retained from the clinical syndrome included grandiosity, entitlement, dominance, and superiority

Characteristics of narcissism

Self-focus in interpersonal exchanges Difficulties maintaining satisfying relationships Hypersensitivity to insults or imagined insults Overconfident body language Flattery towards people who affirm them Using other people without considering cost of doing so Bragging and exaggerating their achievements, claiming to be an 'expert' a many things Inability to see world from others perspective, struggle with empathy

Define narcissism

Self-love; gradiose view of oneself; pursuit of gratifiction from vanity, flattery; crave admiration Origins in Freudian thought

Lifestyle characteristics of psychopaths

Stimulation seeking Impulsivity Irresponsible Parasitic orientation Lack or realistic goals

Jonason and Webster (2010) The Dirty Dozen

Way of measuring for the 'dark triad' of personality using 12 questions of a questionnaire E.g. I tend to manipulate others to get my way E.g. I have used deceit or lied to get my way