Abstract
The Dark Triad (Paulhus & Williams, 2002) refers to three theoretically distinct but empirically overlapping traits, namely Machiavellianism, subclinical psychopathy, and subclinical narcissism (Jones & Paulhus, 2012). These personality traits, although conceptually different, are referred to as “dark” as they all share malevolent qualities. Studies have focused on the Dark Triad in various contexts, such as workplace environments (Lyons, 2019; Nguyen et al., 2021; Prusik & Szulawski, 2019), personal health outcomes, such as the probability of a heart attack (Hudek-Knežević et al., 2016), coupling strategies and friendship, criminal and internet behaviours (Lyons, 2019), moral disengagement (Wu et al., 2020), gender roles, sex differences and identity (Jonason & Davis, 2018; Jonason et al., 2017), cultural similarities/differences in trait presentation (Jonason et al., 2020), as well as various interpersonal characteristics of the Dark Triad (Jones & Paulhus, 2012). Interpersonal dysfunction is regarded as a core characteristic of the Dark Triad (Dowgwillo & Pincus, 2016) and is the topic of this study.
Study 1: Locating the Dark Triad Traits Within the Interpersonal Circumplex
From within an interpersonal context, the Dark Triad has been projected onto Wiggins’ interpersonal circumplex (IPC). The interpersonal circumplex (Wiggins, 1979) provides a framework for understanding interpersonal concepts, including maladaptive behaviours and interpersonal traits, by providing a circular model which allows for the placement of traits along axes of agency and communion. The two axes allow for the circumplex to be divided into four quadrants, each with two segments. Each segment is therefore based on a combination of the two axial dimensions. The segments are labelled according to their position and start at 90° with assured-dominant (PA) and continues in a counter-clockwise direction at 45° intervals, as follows: “arrogant-calculating (BC), cold-hearted (DE), aloof-introverted (FG), unassured-submissive (HI), unassuming-ingenious (JK), warm-agreeable (LM) and gregarious-extraverted (NO)” (Adams & Tracey, 2004, p 264).
Rauthmann and Kolar (2013) found that narcissism fell within Quadrant I (friendly-dominant), Machiavellianism within Quadrant II (dominant-hostile) and psychopathy on the border of Quadrant II and III (dominant-hostile to hostile-submissive). However, Jonason et al. (2020) found significant cultural differences in the manifestation of the Dark Triad traits and Yetiser (2014) observed that individualistic cultures showed a greater tendency toward Machiavellian traits than individuals from collectivist cultures, suggesting that that there can be cultural differences in the interpersonal expression of the Dark Triad traits...