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The dark core of personality
Morten Moshagen1, Benjamin E Hilbig2, Ingo Zettler2
1Institute of Psychology and Education.
Psychological Review
|July 13, 2018
Summary
The Dark Factor of Personality (D) unifies dark traits, explaining tendencies to maximize personal gain while disregarding others' utility. This general disposition predicts ethically questionable behaviors, offering a comprehensive framework for understanding dark personality.
Area of Science:
- Psychology
- Personality Science
- Behavioral Science
Background:
- Dark traits explain ethically, morally, and socially questionable behaviors.
- Existing research lacks a unifying framework for these diverse negative personality traits.
Purpose of the Study:
- To introduce and theoretically define the Dark Factor of Personality (D) as a general disposition underlying dark traits.
- To empirically test the Dark Factor of Personality (D) and its relationship to specific dark traits and consequential behaviors.
Main Methods:
- Conducted four studies with over 2,500 participants.
- Employed statistical methods to analyze the common core and unique variance of multiple dark traits simultaneously.
- Tested the predictive validity of the Dark Factor of Personality (D) against various criteria, including consequential behavior.
Main Results:
- Provided evidence supporting the theoretical conceptualization of the Dark Factor of Personality (D).
- Demonstrated that dark traits are specific manifestations of the Dark Factor of Personality (D).
- Showed that the Dark Factor of Personality (D) significantly predicts a wide range of ethically, morally, and socially questionable behaviors.
Conclusions:
- The Dark Factor of Personality (D) offers a comprehensive framework for understanding individual differences in dark personality.
- The Dark Factor of Personality (D) is a robust predictor of undesirable behaviors, independent of specific measurement indicators.
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