The Dark Triad and competitive psychological climate at work: A model of reciprocal relationships in dependence of age and organization change

Abstract

Integrating an interactionist model of personality development, the cumulative continuity model of personality development, and selection-evocation-manipulation theory, the present study analysed reciprocal relations of the Dark Triad common core and its sub-traits of narcissism, psychopathy, and Machiavellianism with competitive psychological climate. Moreover, within a large (N = 1,185) and longitudinal sample of employees from Germany, latent cross-lagged panel analyses were applied to analyse the moderating roles of age and organization change (i.e., organizational turnover). Overall, results revealed positive reciprocal relations between the Dark Triad common core, its sub-traits, and competitive psychological climate. The Dark Triad common core and Machiavellianism were more stable within the older (50 to 59 years) compared to the younger (25 to 34 years) age group. However, we found no age differences for the relation between competitive psychological climate and change in the Dark Triad common core or its sub-traits. Among employees who changed organizations, the Dark Triad common core, narcissism, and psychopathy were more strongly positively related to the change in competitive psychological climate than in the non-change group. This suggests stronger selection compared to evocationmanipulation effects for individuals with high values in the Dark Triad common core, narcissism, and psychopathy, but not for Machiavellianism.

The positive connection between dark triad traits and leadership levels in self- and other-ratings

“…Similar results have been found for a competitive psychological work climate (Spurk and Hirschi 2018). Spurk and Hirschi (2018) even found that individuals DT tendencies increase when working under what they perceive as competitive conditions.…”

“…Contrarily, an individual-centered climate encourages employees to manipulate, cheat, and violate norms of the organization (Suar and Khuntia 2004). Similar results have been found for a competitive psychological work climate (Spurk and Hirschi 2018). Spurk and Hirschi (2018) even found that individuals DT tendencies increase when working under what they perceive as competitive conditions.…”

Age and gender differences in socially aversive (“dark”) personality traits

“…It is therefore very possible that the differences in the "dark triad" structure were driven by other factors beyond age. Nevertheless, this study, as well as a related study by Spurk & Hirschi (2018), indicates that the assumption that socially aversive personality measures are invariant or that manifestations of these traits are the same across the age range might be false, which could result in misleading interpretations of age trends in socially aversive personality traits.…”

Economic Preferences and Personality Traits Among Finance Professionals and the General Population

“…For instance, in two papers Kirchler et al (2018) and Kirchler et al (2020) report higher levels of competitiveness among finance professionals compared to students, academics, and the general population, but lower levels compared to professional athletes. Perceived competitiveness has been shown to be related to higher levels of psychopathy (Jonason et al, 2015;Spurk and Hirschi, 2018). The trait of psychopathy is particularly relevant for financial decision-making, since it explains misbehavior in taking risk on behalf of others (Jones, 2014) and gambling with money of somebody else (Jones, 2013).…”