The Dark Triad: Narcissism, Machiavellism, Psychopathy

People who lack the ability to connect with others or have the ability to intentionally disconnect their emotions fall into something we call the “dark triad”. These sets of personality traits include narcissism, Machiavellianism and psychopathy. 

In extreme cases, people who have these dark traits become criminals or lose themselves in mental illness. But there are also people among us who may not have been diagnosed, but who still have these characteristics.

People with these characteristics and behaviors are said to have a dark personality. Why? Because of their insensitive, selfish and malicious tendencies in their relationships with others. Delroy L. Paulhus and Kevin M. Williams – psychologists at the University of British Columbia – named these dark traits the dark triad because they are the most negative aspects of human relationships. Let’s take a look at what they mean.

Narcissism

“I can do what I want” or  “Other people exist to love me” are examples of narcissistic thoughts. They are selfish people, with an egocentric sense of right and wrong  and a positive self-image that is unrealistic when compared to how those around them see them.

Narcissists are “snake charmers”. At first, people seem to love them, they seem content and attractive. But as time goes on, they can become very dangerous. People around them may be unable to see their true intentions: to be admired and gain power.

Routines tend to bore them, so they look for challenges. This is why most narcissists are leaders or work in professions that create a high level of stress. According to psychoanalyst Michael Maccoby, narcissism is a growing disorder in the upper echelons of the business world. It is directly linked to competition, salary and glamor.

The negative aspect of narcissism

One of their strengths is their ability to convince others. They use it to surround themselves with a large number of followers. They easily persuade others  to do what they want them to do. In short: they get what they want. In addition  , it is not difficult for them because they have no empathy. They are not picky at all when it comes to the means and strategies they use to achieve their goals.

Narcissistic people have zero interest in and do not worry about others, even though it may seem so. They do not experience remorse  and they are insensitive to people in the feelings and needs of their surroundings.

But their self-image is their Achilles heel. Narcissists often have very low self-esteem and are sometimes in some ways vulnerable and insecure. This is why they try to surround themselves with people they consider inferior, so that they can dominate and feel powerful.

Machiavellism

For ” Machiavellians”, the goal sanctifies the means, regardless of the consequences. They are usually very calculating and cold people and have no real emotional connections to others. Although they tend to have traits that are common to narcissists, such as selfishness and using others, there is something that sets them apart : they see themselves and their relationships realistically.

The Machiavellians do not try to impress anyone. Instead, they show themselves as they are and prefer to see things clearly because they can manipulate others better that way. In fact, they focus on the emotions of the people they want to manipulate to get what they want. If they anticipate your emotions, they will be able to choose the right strategy to manipulate you.

According to psychologist Daniel Goleman, people with Machiavellian characteristics have less empathy. Their emotional coldness seems to come from an inability to process their own and others’ emotions.

In fact, emotions make them so uncomfortable that when they feel anxiety, they usually do not know how to distinguish it from sadness or fatigue. However, they tend to be very good at understanding what others think. But as Goleman says, even if their head knows what to do, their heart still has no idea.

Psychopathy

Psychopaths regard others as objects that they can use and throw away at will. Unlike the other personalities in the dark triad , they almost never experience anxiety. It’s like they have no idea what it’s like to be scared.

Without fear, they can remain calm even in emotionally intense, dangerous and frightening situations. They do not care too much about the consequences of their actions. They are the most likely of the three types to end up in prison.

Psychopaths have neural circuits desensitized to the outer periphery of the emotional spectrum associated with suffering. Therefore, their cruelty seems insensitive because they are unable to detect it. Nor do they experience remorse or shame.

However, psychopaths can easily get close to others and press their buttons if it leads to them getting what they want. They are excellent persuaders. But even if they perform highly in social contexts, they only understand relationships and the behavior of others from a logical or intellectual perspective.