The affective and cognitive empathic nature of the dark triad of personality

Wai, Michael; Tiliopoulos, Niko

doi:10.1016/j.paid.2012.01.008

Cited by 325 publications

(303 citation statements)

References 35 publications

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“…Today this term refers to an individual who is motivated by self-interest, lacks interpersonal closeness, endorses unethical behavior, and desires control (Fehr et al 1992;McHoskey 1999;Ramanaiah et al 1994). Machiavellianism is one of the three components of the dark triad, which represents the most prominent and socially aversive personalities (psychopathy, narcissism, and Machiavellianism) (Wai and Tiliopoulos 2012). The three traits are moderately intercorrelated in disagreeableness, dishonesty, aggressiveness, and deficits in empathy (Jonason et al 2012;Wai and Tiliopoulos 2012).…”

Section: Machiavellianismmentioning

confidence: 99%

Seeing but Not Feeling: Machiavellian Traits in Relation to Physiological Empathetic Responding and Life Experiences

Massey-Abernathy

Byrd‐Craven

2016

Adaptive Human Behavior and Physiology

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Machiavellian personality traits are often associated with low levels of empathy and lack of interpersonal closeness. However, some individuals high on Machiavellian traits have been shown to be skilled at affective-perspective taking and thereby may appear to exhibit an empathic response. The current study examined reported empathetic response as well as physiological empathetic response (through skin conductance levels) in relationship to Machiavellian personality traits. Physiological responses were examined while participants watched emotion eliciting videos. In addition, life history traits and social strategies were examined in relation to the development of Machiavellian personality traits. The results of the current study reveal that individuals high on Machiavellian personality traits had lower levels of physiological emphatic responding (skin conductance levels), although they did not report less empathy. Additionally, Machiavellian personality traits were associated with the use of bi-strategic social strategies and having a childhood environment with a harsh or inconsistent father. More specifically, a relationship with a harsh or inconsistent father was found to moderate the relationship between Machiavellian personality scores and skin conductance levels, such that those high in Machiavellian traits appeared to be more resistant to the impact of harsh fathering on responses to others' distress. These results suggest that personality characteristics, social styles, and father's parenting styles are linked to particular physiological profiles in response to highly charged emotional situations.

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Section: Machiavellianismmentioning

confidence: 99%

Seeing but Not Feeling: Machiavellian Traits in Relation to Physiological Empathetic Responding and Life Experiences

Massey-Abernathy

Byrd‐Craven

2016

Adaptive Human Behavior and Physiology

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“…These individuals are low on empathy, not connected to their own or other peoples' emotions, and hold negative representations of others (Black, Woodworth, & Porter, 2013;Ináncsi et al, 2015;Wai & Tiliopoulos, 2012, Wastell & Booth, 2003, which may facilitate their use of manipulation. Machiavellianism influences a variety of adult relationships, and, given friendship is the most common form of social relationship (Blieszer & Adams, 1992), it is important to investigate Machiavellianism in this context.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Machiavellianism, emotional manipulation, and friendship functions in women's friendships

Abell

Brewer

Qualter

et al. 2016

Personality and Individual Differences

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“…Machiavellianism is associated with emotional deficits, including empathy and emotional intelligence (Ali et al, 2009;Jonason et al, 2013c;Petrides et al, 2011;Wai & Tiliopoulos, 2012), such that high Machiavellian individuals are unable to attribute emotions and mental states to others. While there are many conceptual similarities between Machiavellianism and psychopathy (McHoskey et al, 1998), they may differ in terms of their strategies for goal attainment.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Relationships between the Dark Triad and Delayed Gratification: An Evolutionary Perspective

Baughman¹,

Jonason²,

Vernon³

2016

Personality and Individual Differences

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The Dark Triad (i.e., psychopathy, narcissism, and Machiavellianism) is a cluster of socially aversive personality traits that account for the "darker" side of human behavior.While traditional views have focused on the maladaptive nature of these traits, recent work in the field of evolutionary psychology suggests these traits may be adaptive in terms of self-serving behavior. The Dark Triad traits may also be a manifestation of a particular life strategy that an individual engages in; one that is characterized by immediate gratification and risk-taking. The present study examined links between the Dark Triad traits and ability to delay gratification in a sample of 364 undergraduate students (136 males). Psychopathy was the most strongly linked to an inability to delay gratification, followed by Machiavellianism and narcissism. Sex also moderated these relationships, such that women who scored high on Machiavellianism were less likely to delay gratification than men; however, these associations were no longer significant when a more conservative Bonferroni correction was applied. Findings are discussed within the evolutionary framework of Life History Theory.

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The affective and cognitive empathic nature of the dark triad of personality

Cited by 325 publications

References 35 publications

Seeing but Not Feeling: Machiavellian Traits in Relation to Physiological Empathetic Responding and Life Experiences

Seeing but Not Feeling: Machiavellian Traits in Relation to Physiological Empathetic Responding and Life Experiences

Machiavellianism, emotional manipulation, and friendship functions in women's friendships

Relationships between the Dark Triad and Delayed Gratification: An Evolutionary Perspective

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