Dark Triad

The Dark Triad (Paulhus & Williams, 2002) describes three distinct but overlapping personality traits that share a common core of callous manipulation and self-interest.

Narcissism involves grandiosity, need for admiration, and sense of entitlement. Machiavellianism involves strategic manipulation, cynicism about human nature, and prioritizing self-interest. Psychopathy involves emotional coldness, impulsivity, and lack of remorse.

Importantly, these traits exist on a spectrum in the general population — everyone has some level of each. Moderate levels can be adaptive: narcissism aids leadership, Machiavellianism helps in negotiations, and psychopathic fearlessness aids in high-pressure careers (surgery, crisis management). Problems arise at extreme levels. In Big Five terms, the Dark Triad maps primarily to very low Agreeableness with varying levels of low Conscientiousness (psychopathy) and high Extraversion (narcissism).