- The narcissist (NPD), who is characterised by grandiosity, lack of empathy, and egotism.
- The malignant narcissist (MN), who is characterised by deception, exploitation, and self-interest.
- The psychopath, who is characterised by anti-social sadistic behaviour and a callous lack of conscience.
Each of these three personality types share a number of common features, but when it comes to behaviour, each type acts-out even worse behaviour than the one preceding it (one that is lower down on the scale).
But whatever way we refer to these personality types, their pathological behaviours are always the same, they come with dark malevolent and hard to tolerate qualities. Unfortunately, people with these traits function normally, therefore they surround us daily in our lives (i.e. in the home, the workplace, and in romantic relationships and friendships.
Technically these three personalities are referred to in criminal psychology as the Dark Triad. Many political and social leaders throughout history are examples of the powerful success that comes from the dark triad traits; for example, Gaius Julius Caesar.
Of course, we do not have to go back in time, to-day we have the United States President, Donald Trump. Unfortunately, these personality types because of their workplace aggression, generally do not show good leadership skills in the long-run. In fact, they usually end up costing their organisations/governments billions before they manage to get rid of them. Furthermore, they also have negative consequences for the people that they employ to serve them.
A useful way of understanding the psychology of the Dark Triad (NPD, MN and Psychopath) is through the Russian nesting dolls metaphor.
The Russian doll system is a series of wooden figures that can be dismantled to reveal a series of several dolls (all similar, yet different in size) all fitting snugly encased into the largest doll.
For example, the smallest doll represents healthy narcissism; the second slightly larger doll represents narcissistic personality disorder, and the third slightly larger doll represents the malignant narcissist.
The largest doll combined with the other dolls represents the psychopath, thus covering the whole spectrum of psychopathy within one Russian doll system—all encased into one complete “whole”.
The Russian doll system demonstrates nicely how each of these three unhealthy structures are in themselves complete, yet each fulcrum (level) of pathology distinguishes one from the other, depending on the trauma caused to each fulcrum, and how it twisted and distorted the individuals’ growth as they went from childhood to adulthood.
As the narcissistic individual moves from one level of narcissism into the next level of narcissism (i.e., from NPD to malignant narcissism), each level includes its predecessor, integrating it into the new and more pathological structure of self.
The Dark Triad as a New Focus of Personality Psychology:
The Dark Triad has been known in Criminal Psychology for some time, but it is only now becoming a new focus of Personality Psychology. Therefore, it needs to be understood (even at a basic level) by clinicians. Understanding the damage these three personalities (the narcissist, the malignant narcissist, and the psychopath) types can do to their victims is vital for working with victims of pathological narcissistic abuse.
These individuals only have one goal, and that is to get their own needs met. People who score high on the Dark Tried will use any means they can to achieve their end goal, and this can be very detrimental to the
physical and mental health of anybody they have chosen to target as their victim. Anybody trying to get in their way will be treated most aggressively.
The Dirty Dozen Scale:
Jonason and Webster (2010) have come up with a scale to help others to spot these aggressive characters more easily. It is a 12 – item rating scale called the “Dirty Dozen” and is considered a concise Measure of the Dark Triad.
The Dirty Dozen asks a set of questions that are designed to highlight the individual’s behaviours, and highlight their aggressiveness, sexual opportunism, impulsivity, etc. and show where they fit in the Dark Triad scale. For example: –
Questions to detect levels of Narcissism:
I tend to want others to admire me.
I tend to want others to pay attention to me.
I tend to expect special favours from others.
I tend to seek prestige or status.
I tend to feel that things are owed to me.
I tend to try to be dominant in social situations.
I tend to be grandiose or pompous.
I tend to feel that I am more special than others.
I tend to feel that I am better than others.
I tend to have a sense of self-importance.
I tend to be egocentric.
Questions to detect levels of Psychopathy:
I tend to lack remorse.
I tend to be callous or insensitive.
I tend to not be too concerned with morality or the morality of my actions.
I tend to be cynical.
I tend to get frustrated easily.
I tend to lose my temper quickly.
Questions to detect levels of Machiavellianism:
I have used deceit or lied to get my way.
I tend to manipulate others to get my way.
I have used flattery to get my way.
I tend to exploit others towards my own end.
I tend to have trouble understanding other people’s feelings.
It is not hard to see how people who score high in any of these individual areas are going to be very hard to be around, especially when in a personal relationship with them, or working alongside them in the workplace.
Scoring above 45 would rank an individual high on the Dark Triad scale. Perhaps the reader would like to test themselves to see how they treat others… now there is a thought!
If you are interested in knowing more about this test:
(PDF) The Dirty Dozen: A Concise Measure of the Dark Triad. Available from: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/44653925_The_Dirty_Dozen_A_Concise_Measure_of_the_Dark_Triad [accessed Sep 01 2018].
The Gaslighting Syndrome
When Shame Begets Shame
The 3 Faces Of Evil
Her books, “The Three Faces of Evil: Unmasking the Full Spectrum of Narcissistic Abuse” and “When Shame Begets Shame: How Narcissists hurt and shame their victims” set out to to help those who have been affected by a narcissist and also to address the shortfalls in a therapist’s education, so that they become better equipped to work with survivors of narcissistic abuse.Much of her knowledge has come from her post-grad studies in Criminology and Forensic Psychology, and it is through these disciplines that she has gained her understanding of “The Dark Triad”, (Narcissism, Machiavellianism and Psychopathy).
These three faces of evil are vital information for understanding the full spectrum of narcissistic abuse and the dire effects on the victims.It is her vision that narcissistic abuse becomes part of the curriculum of all Mental Health clinicians.
When I was in my early twenties I recalled my mother informing me that someone had called her a narcissist, she laughed and was really proud of that! that is what got me researching narcissism. I didn’t want to parent my children like my mother had parented in any way, and whenever I caught an idea in myself that reminded me of my mother I proceeded to immediately correct it. It is amazing to me how narcissistic I have been in my life especially when I was young, although I know I am not a narcissist now, I learned mothering from my mother but also, thank God, my grandmother. My gramma knew how my mother did me so she consecrated me to the Blessed Virgin Mary when I was 3 years old. She told me that when I had to cry, to close my eyes and jump in Mary’s lap and allow her to hold me and kiss my forehead and love me. If I didn’t know how to parent my children I would ask myself “what would Mary do”? I knew when they said, I love you, that grammas love felt incredibly different from mother’s love, so i “went to heaven” to learn how to love.
This article is very helpful in the ongoing effort to understand and face the reality of what these individuals bring to the table. As it has been a recurring theme in my life, beginning in childhood with my mother, and followed by my now ex-husband, you’d think that by now I’d be able to recognize and run from these individuals. I find that the opposite is true – that i’m more desensitized to their behavior, and need to constantly bring myself into awareness of what is actually going on. Having the checklists is incredibly helpful. Thank you for this and for all of the information that you provide. It is extremely helpful to keep in check
July 2019
Hi Christine,
I’ve learned what the DARK TRIAD is first-hand, by entering a job twelve years ago, working within a police department, but not as an officer. During the 3-panel interview, my intuition was picking up on something amiss. I asked many questions at the end, after they invited me to. They appeared bored and uninterested.
I didn’t know it was cognititve dissonance that I was experiencing. All the norms in behavior I expected from the people within this organization, flew out the window.
I would go home either with stomachaches, or headaches, cause I am empathic by nature. Totally chaotic management … new supervisors every 6 to 8 months.
During the course of my employment, everything went downhill the first time I asked not to hear vulgar language for 8 hours, during my shifts. People who entered the building were also capable of hearing the vulgarity. They YELLED instead of talked. A supervisor stated, he saw nothing wrong with the workplace vulgarity. Thus, I became a TARGET of the organization! There is so much antisocial behavior exhibited from within this group, it’s scary.
To cope, I continued reading. Personality disorders are compelling, cause the various TRAITS are in full swing in this organization. I’ve read a LOT of books on pathology & mobbing. I am trying to find a way to cope with the constant abnormal behavior, all the while needing the income the job produces.
After filing on an officer who called me a vulgar name, retaliation came in the form of being walked out of work, generalized workplace hostility, bizarre rumors, & having my shift taken away and given to a workplace tormentor, which resulted in financial distress. It was an attempt to fire me. Now, it’s very difficult to find a new job.
Thus, I had entered the DARK TRIAD without even knowing it.
The complexity of this horror that afflicts humanity is that, as Christine points out, outwardly these people (Dark Triad) seem normal. They are not. In all honesty, they are evil personified and that is really all that they are. They all take on a fiendish demeanor that is obnoxious.
It’s been many years since I’ve read “The Picture of Dorian Gray” though as I recall, he eventually meets his demise. In both the Old and New Testament, and especially the Psalms, the characteristics of the Dark Triad are written about, with Judas Iscariot and Jezebel as examples.
If they weren’t so boring they’d actually be amusing. Most of all, they are to be pitied (and avoided).
I have had the great misfortune and exposure to all three levels of this triad and I am still suffering from the consequences of not realizing that I wasn’t the person who was doing anything wrong, however, I was constantly thinking and feeling and being blamed by my abusers for everything that was perceived by them as wrong. It has been three years of continuous therapy with the emphasis on rebuilding back up my still very low self esteem as a result of narcissistic abuse and I am still struggling to get my emotional health back. But I am not going to give up and my psychiatrist is familiar with NPD and he has indicated that for some people, it may take years or longer depending upon the severity of the abuse and the duration of the abuse. I always go to this site to get the most accurate information on this subject and I am grateful for the author, as she has personally responded to some of my questions. I want everyone else who may be struggling with narcissistic abuse to please know that you are not alone and that there is a way out, please don’t give up.
The most frightening component of the Triad as Christine describes it, is that so many of the Machiavellian narcissists are indeed leaders on the world stage.
Though the shoe fits Trump, the same shoe also fits Obama, Clinton, and their sycophant followers whose misguided and misplaced loyalty makes them the “flying monkeys” that enable the social horrors we witness today. Their support helps pave the way for dangerous narcissists to gain momentum and become more powerful. Nine times out of ten, I discover in talking with “Deplorables” that they voted not so much FOR Trump as AGAINST Hillary Clinton who, speaking of narcissism, still simply can’t believe her corruption cost her the election. At the expense of her nation.
It is my prayer this Christmastime for every creature to afford themselves the magnificent gift of Christmas — the true freedom that comes from taking the time to fathom the magnificent beauty of the true Christmas story. No matter how incredibly damaging the ruthlessness of the narcissist is, it is Christ who helps us find how truly blessed we are. It is impossible to fathom how hideous the soul of the narcissist is; nothing reaches them only when they’re hit in their wallet.
Thank you, Christine, for a wonderful website.
Concise yet lucid expose on the issue…
The “entitlement factor “is always brought about by the ‘executioner’ to warrant his methodology
Intricate values do exist…and the discrimination might at times be tedious to demonstrate…overlaps exist.
obfuscatory techniques use the semantics to justify.
The complexity of social life and diversity of its human components make rules many times- difficult to intercede .
Is is critical information. I’d say these people can appear normal on the outside but, at far from normal. That’s the point. The antisocial psychopath aka the sociopath and the psychopath both have brain abnormalities that are visible in brain scans. I like the Russian doll analogy. I do often explain to readers and recovery clients, if you’re a sociopath or psychopath, that’s enough… they don’t need to be called or diagnosed a malignant narcissist and have NPD as well. – Being an antisocial psychopath subsumed all the rest and contains all of the triad. I recommend if any of any of these trait and experiences happ n, think of them as a sociopath / psychopath for escape and recoeveryand taking our lives back.
Understanding these personality disorders is invaluable, particularly because apparently those who suffer from them are normal people. This causes a lot of pain in the coexistence of any kind with these beings, since it is almost impossible for ordinary people to understand the lack of mirror neurons that allow empathy for our fellow human beings.