Understanding the thinking and behavior of negative personality types
Recap/Update
I appreciate your reading this fourth post of a socio-ecological polarization series devoted to exploring personality types and traits. I think you’ll find the subject matter herein especially interesting.
The first post in this series addressed the characteristics of our brain’s two hemispheres. The second post focused on inherited and acquired personality traits. And the third post covered prominent personality types, as presented in several formats. In this post we’ll consider the main characteristics associated with negative (harmful, malevolent) personality types.
The three malevolent personality types may be justifiably considered as fundamental drivers of social polarization, especially in the U.S. More than at any other time in my lifetime memory do I recall such a growing awareness of what has come to be known as Dark Triad personalities and their harmful behaviors. I trust you will concur.
Before continuing, it will help to be reminded that personality trait refers to the relatively stable unique patterns of attitudes, feelings, and behaviors that help define an individual throughout life. As discussed in the second post, aspects associated with personality are the overall result of both inherited (genetic) and acquired (socio-cultural) influences that, altogether, form a spectrum of personality types, including the three covered in the previous post: extroverts, introverts, and ambiverts.
Dark Triad Characteristics and Behaviors
This year I’ve viewed two very informative podcasts discussing The Dark Triad Personality Traits and The Influence of Psychopaths: Why Humanity Is Better Than We Think. Both are available on The Great Simplification website with Nate Hagens.
The Dark Triad theory was developed and published in a 2002 paper by psychology professors and personality researchers Delroy L. Paulhus and Kevin M. Williams, The theory suggests that certain types of negative behaviors can be identified and explained by three distinct but overlapping traits: narcissism, Machiavellianism, and psychopathy.
All three types share some common characteristics, including a nature that is manipulative and self-serving, focused on personal gain, lacking in empathy, unable to feel remorse, and tending towards antisocial and exploitative behavior. Such hostile and offensive traits are associated with a higher probability of engaging in the kinds of harmful behaviors that lead to social distress and criminal activities.
A lack of empathy combined with a focus on self-interest makes individuals with Dark Triad traits prone to exploiting others in personal relationships and at work. It should be noted that, because these types of traits are considered subclinical, they exist on a spectrum within the general population that does not always indicate clinical disorders.
Narcissism
Narcissism, at a minimum level, may be more common among extroverts, but pathological narcissism can be dangerous. Perhaps the most commonly identified trait is grandiosity, an unrealistic sense of superiority, which leads them to often exaggerate their achievements and talents.
Everyone knows someone who appears “full of themselves”. They can’t help exhibiting a grandiose sense of self-importance, superiority, and entitlement to special treatment and expectations of compliance to their wishes. To elevate themselves, they may also seek out and “rub shoulders” with certain individuals they consider to be status symbols. They often treat others with an arrogant attitude that appears haughty(disdainful pride), snobby (superiority), and patronizing (contempt of others).
It’s common to witness narcissists frequently monopolizing conversations, perhaps belittling or bulling people who threaten their ego. They also exploit relationships for their own gain, are highly resistant to negative criticism, and may react with anger or rage when challenged.
Can you identify any prominent narcissists, including public personalities? I’ll bet you can, since they presently dominate local, national, and global news media.
Machiavellianism
Machiavellianism is named after the 16th-century political philosopher Niccolò Machiavelli (1469 –1527) a Florentine diplomat, author, philosopher, and historian who lived during the Italian Renaissance and is considered by many to be the father of modern political philosophy and political science. After his death Machiavelli’s name came to evoke unscrupulous acts, which he included in his book, The Prince. Therein he presented how a ruler could succeed in politics by engaging in deception, treachery, and ruthless tactics to prioritize the state’s stability over conventional morality.
Malevolent Machiavellian behaviors include: manipulation of others using excessive charm or flattery to get what they want; a focus on self-interest – the belief that most people are motivated by selfishness and “the end justifies the means”; a cynical worldview and disregard for morality, as demonstrated by lying, cheating, and deceit in hoarding information and sabotaging colleagues; emotional detachment , as when suppressing emotion and viewing relationships in a cold, calculating way that produces few genuine emotional attachments; and using long-term scheming methods in a strategic, tactful, and patiently calculated way to achieve their goals, including the accumulation of power. Do these negative traits remind you of anyone?
Psychopathy
Of the three malevolent traits, psychopathy is considered the “darkest” and is most commonly associated with predatory behavior. Characteristic behaviors include: Impulsivity and risk-taking, as evidenced by a person’s selfishness and callousness when impulsively seeking and engaging in stimulating, risky activities; a lack of empathy and remorse due to a deficiency in emotional experience that makes it easy for them to disregard the rights and feelings of others without feelings of guilt or concern; using superficial charm, charisma, and persuasiveness to manipulate and disarm their targeted victims; and a lack of accountability when anyone challenges their manipulative behavior by denying responsibility, playing the victim, or gaslighting their target.
Children at risk for psychopathy exhibit reduced emotional responses and a tendency to pursue their own goals – even when it causes distress to others. At all ages, psychopaths are simply oblivious to the harm they cause, all the while believing that, as special, superior beings they deserve favorable, preferential treatment.
Psychopathic individuals might use such manipulative control tactics as gaslighting, love-bombing, and triangulation to keep their victims off-balance. Their craving for admiration reveals a depth of emotional shallowness that hinders the genuine emotional connections needed in maintaining healthy, long-term relationships. Moreover, once a relationship is established, they like to use their manipulative behaviors for financial, personal, or emotional gain. Here again, I think you can readily identify persons who fit represent psychopathic traits.
Summary of Dark Triad Social Relationships and Lifestyle Traits
Click on the image to enlarge.
|
The social relationships of individuals exhibiting Dark Triad traits often involve harmful, distressful conflicts, physically and psycho-emotionally. Over time, as their self-serving behavior becomes apparent, they may struggle to maintain long-term friendships and relationships. Other traits may include: difficulty in making long-term goals and plans; antisocial disregard for social norms and laws; a tendency toward parasitic or opportunistic lifestyles (sponging off of others); and a history of poor behavioral controls, and perhaps juvenile delinquency.Dark Triad traits are distinct from official mental health diagnoses, and the prevalence of each condition differs. For instance, the estimated rate of severe psychopathy is around 1% of the general population. However, when measured as a spectrum of traits, some research suggests up to 30% of people have some level of psychopathic tendencies.
Narcissistic Personality Disorder (NPD) is a rare clinical conditions. Based on different studies, narcissism affects an estimated 0.5% to 6.2% of the U.S. population. As a more nonthreatening disorder, the actual percentage of people with narcissistic traits is higher, with many demonstrating mild symptoms.
Finally, because Machiavellianism is considered a personality trait rather than a mental illness, it isn’t a formal diagnosis in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM), so there are no official prevalence statistics for the general population.
Religious, Spiritual, and Ecological Sins
Before modern psychiatry came into being – in “the old days” (prior to the late 18th century) – Dark Triad personality types were defined according to religious traditions. The big issue was, and remains, Sin, which is considered an immoral act (wrongdoing) and a transgression against divine law. Tertullian, the founder of Western theology and an early Roman Catholic theologian, originated the Seven Deadly Sins of pride, greed, wrath, envy, lust, gluttony, and sloth.
A list of sins that differs from the traditional Christian Seven Deadly Sins by focusing on societal and moral failings was included by Mahatma Gandhi in his 1925 newspaper, Young India. The “Seven Social Sins“ listed include wealth without work, pleasure without conscience, knowledge without character, commerce without morality, science without humanity, worship without sacrifice, and politics without principle.
Finally, for anyone interested in a somewhat related takeoff that relates to sins against the natural environment (Nature), check out The Seven Deadly Sins of Greenwashing. The seven sins are vague terminology, hidden tradeoff, no proof, irrelevance, the lesser of two Evils, greenwashing by unsubstantiated affiliation, and fibbing. Each sin is explained on the website.
Personal Impressions, Thoughts and Expressions
While I appreciated researching and learning about Dark Triad personalities, I wondered about the terms used in naming it as such. For instance, are the terms “Dark” and “Triad” the most appropriate ones available? After getting accustomed to reading, writing, and thinking about this minor issue, I came to accept the designation.
However, as a vocal musician I thought it might also be appropriate to label these three close-knit negative personalities as the “Sinister Trio”. After all, they are closely attuned harmonically (in minor tonalities), and typically expressed using slow, rhythmic tempi and a foreboding mood (like the shark theme in the movie, Jaws). Furthermore, the negative effects of experienced malevolent personalities reveal harmful intentions.
So, what does this Dark Triad overview suggest to you about harmful personality types you’ve experienced? From my perspective, I cannot avoid associating Dark Triad personality traits with the current cadre of politicians and advisors who are recklessly manipulating the U.S. administrative machine to achieve their destructive ends.
Very little evidence exists of their exhibiting tolerance or respect for anyone who opposes their glorified but warped beliefs and behaviors. They appear to live in an ideologically fabricated altered reality fashioned by a collective delusional imagination. Their distorted worldview features such beliefs as anthropocentric hubris, American superiority, and white-supremacy nationalism, all bundled together in a twisted Christian concept representing a radical form of shallow emotional evangelism.
Furthermore, this bunch of political sycophants demonstrate minimal interest in the source of all life-supporting sustenance. Based on the political shenanigans targeting and denying climate change, destroying the natural environment, and ignoring the rights of non-human lifeforms to exist, it’s plainly evident they hold no respect, appreciation, or gratitude for any part of Nature beyond their own kind.
Wrap Up
I didn’t intend to end with a tirade regarding Dark Triad personalities I have known, plus current powerful figures serving as master manipulators in all areas of like, but doing so seems appropriate at this time. It’s particularly discouraging to realize that, while my wife and I have received more than our fair share of natural resources during our time on Earth, all the while enjoying a comfortable lifestyle, the timing is not so fortunate for younger generations. Based on the consensus of notable socioecologists, those living in coming decades of this century will likely experience the harsh results of multiple crises that are plunging ahead on a dangerous trajectory.
This blog is free because I feel a deep concern for the health and wellbeing of all future earthly beings and bio-ecosystems. At this extremely critical juncture in human history, I remain realistically pessimistic about the future. Powerful forces – pro-growth mega-corporations, oligarchical billionaires, self-interested politicians and financial institutions, et al – continue exerting influential pressures that check any progress aimed at addressing the serious life-death challenges the world is facing.
Largely responsible for driving humanity’s addiction to consumptive economic growth, these self-interest forces continue controlling narratives and policies that promote excessive growth, consumption, and waste. Humanity is perilously close to a threshold beyond which any mitigative measures will be able to reverse or stabilize a rapidly changing climate. Perhaps a significant factor at this point is the growing polarization of humanity, as illustrated with a rising tide of Christian nationalism, fascism, authoritarianism, and other malevolent forces. And what do these types of forces have in common: Dark Triad personalities!
In contrast to this depressing post, the next post – Socio-Ecological Polarization and Light Triad Personality Traits – will hopefully lighten readers’ moods, perhaps offering reasons to hope and continue seeking a sustainable future. For certain, the most important factor in creating a sustainable future will be largely determined by cultivating within the general population the types of positive personality traits that enable cooperation, collaboration, and dedication to serving the common good of all earthly beings.
Till then, let’s do whatever we can to help advance the types of strategies and measures that could potentially lead to a sustainable future.
Clif (with appreciation to Bettye Ware, reader/editor)
By the same author:
Socio-Ecological Polarization and Prominent Personality Types
Socio-Ecological Polarization – Our Inherited and Acquired Personality Traits
Socio-Ecological Polarization – The Integration of Opposites
|
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Clifton Ware, D.M., emeritus professor (voice), professional singer and author of four published books and two unpublished works, retired in 2007 from the University of Minnesota-Twin Cities School of Music, where he taught for 37 years. Since retiring, as a self-described socio-ecological philosopher he has spent 15 years focusing on sustainability issues, in the process of acquiring an evidence-based, big-picture understanding of all principal societal and ecological systems, including the symbiotic interconnections and role of humans as an integral part of Nature. In 2013 he founded Citizens for Sustainability in St. Anthony Village, MN, produced Sustainability News + Views (2014-2019), a weekly newsletter featuring a variety of articles and a commentary, co-composed 13 Eco Songs with his wife, Bettye, organized Sustainability Forums, and performed eco-oriented programs and presentations for several organizations.
|
