The Dark Triad Summary

The Dark Triad and An Expanded Framework of Personality

In the article The Dark Triad and An Expanded Framework of Personality the authors Livia Veselka, Julie Aitken Schermer, Philip A. Vernon look at the Five-Factor Model and how it has received criticism for not being able to capture the full range of traits, particularly those of antisocial behavior. They compare the Five-Factor Model with others such the Dark Triad. Early on in the article the authors say that the Five-Factor Model is a variation of the Big-Five model of personality. In the Five-Factor Model psychologists look at various structures of personality known as neuroticism, extraversion, openness to experience, agreeableness, and conscientiousness. These five can all account

The dark triad includes factors such as Machiavellianism, narcissism, and psychopathy. The way that the authors tested this was by having 139 adult twin pairs take part in this study. They measure their personality by having them take the MACH-IV, the Narcissistic Personality Inventory (NPI), and the Self-Report Psychopathy Scale (SRP-III). These were used to obtain measures for the Dark Triad. Veselka, Schermer, and Vernon also had the 139 pairs take the NEO Personality Inventory-Revised (NEO-PI-R) so that the different dimensions of the Five-Factor Model could be measured. The results showed correlation between the Dark Triad variables and some of the Big Five dimensions. The results further confirmed the antisocial nature of the Dark Triad cluster. This was one among many studies that Veselka, Schermer, and Vernon conducted. They compared the Dark Triad and the Supernumerary Personality Inventory so they could further look at the correlation between the Dark Triad and the Five-Factor Model. 456 adult twin pairs were part of this study. The results that the authors found showed significant correlations between the Dark Triad and most of the Supernumerary Personality Inventory traits. They also studied the Dark Triad and relevant personality measures, the Dark Triad and moral development, and the Dark Triad