Open AccessScreening for Dark Personalities
Author(s) -
Delroy L. Paulhus,
Erin E. Buckels,
Paul D. Trapnell,
Daniel N. Jones
Publication year - 2021
Publication title -
european journal of psychological assessment
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.927
H-Index - 62
eISSN - 2151-2426
pISSN - 1015-5759
DOI - 10.1027/1015-5759/a000602
Subject(s) - dark triad , psychology , personality psychology , machiavellianism , confirmatory factor analysis , exploratory factor analysis , construct validity , sadistic personality disorder , personality , psychopathy , big five personality traits , developmental psychology , psychometrics , social psychology , personality disorders , structural equation modeling , statistics , mathematics
Abstract. Consensus is emerging that the constellation of dark personalities should include the sadistic personality. To build a four-factor measure, we modified and extended the Short Dark Triad (SD3) measure to include sadism. A series of three studies yielded the Short Dark Tetrad (SD4), a four subscale inventory with 7 items per construct. Study 1 ( N = 868) applied exploratory factor analysis (EFA) to a diverse 48-item pool using data collected on MTurk. A 4-factor solution revealed a separate sadism factor, as well as a shifted Dark Triad. Study 2 ( N = 999 students) applied EFA to a reduced 37-item set. Associations with adjustment and sex drive provided insight into unique personality dynamics of the four constructs. In Study 3 ( N = 660), a confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) of the final 28 items showed acceptable fit for a four-factor solution. Moreover, the resulting 7-item subscales each showed coherent links with the Big Five and adjustment. In sum, the four-factor structure replicated across student and community samples. Although they overlap to a moderate degree, the four subscales show distinctive correlates – even with a control for acquiescence. We also uncovered a novel link between sadism and sexuality, but no association with maladjustment.