The dark triad of personality... sounds pretty dark... however, each of us "contains" small doses of this triad. We can be narcissistic, we can be Machiavellian and we can be psychopaths. Or we can be all of these combined. We can manifest ourselves in accordance with these traits without even noticing. When we talk about accentuated personality traits, we do not enter the sphere of psychopathology. They simply give us behavioral nuances that direct our actions and states. They are good? Are they bad? Depends....
It depends on the extent to which the achievement of one's goals pays attention to the peace and safety of those around. It depends on the intensity and frequency with which it manifests and on the individual level of their awareness. It depends on environmental factors that can strengthen or diminish specific behaviors. It depends on the nature of the established objectives and the ability to achieve them, on the methods and strategies adopted to succeed. It depends on the level of intentionality, because many people choose to behave in one way or another. Or it depends on the type of education received in childhood and the adopted models.
In this volume we will talk about narcissism, Machiavellianism and psychopathy. Personal opinions and scientific opinions are presented regarding them. They are described in detail and put in relation to various other individual and environmental factors, in order to better explain their nature. Empirical studies are also presented that underline the intensity of the relationships between these traits and how they impact human activities.
Our desire is to clarify these concepts and to bring the reader a more accurate picture of accentuated personality traits, differentiating them from personality disorders, as it is known that both narcissism and psychopathy (not Machiavellianism) each have a psychopathological correspondent. We also want to draw attention to the fact that in everyday vocabulary people use attributes such as "narcissist" or "psychopath" in an erroneous or at least exaggerated way. These have almost become common words to characterize life partners, friends, schoolmates, people on the street... all those who hurt us in one way or another, all those who behave coldly or contrary to our expectations. It is circulated intensively, extensively and often abusively, coloring the usual language, but without paying attention to the real meaning and psychological significance.
At the same time, we want to expose the basic characteristics of the dark triad of personality, as they are encountered in the real world, with their advantages and disadvantages. Although it is difficult to accept, it must be recognized that many personalities of the world, with accentuated personality traits, built empires, built civilizations, led powerful armies with an iron fist and entered history as heroes. The large corporations of the world in which we live are most often led by people with very strong personality traits, including from the sphere of the dark triad, being described in the specialized literature as functional psychopaths. Surgeons who cut open the body and work in it are examples of functional psychopathy. Politicians and diplomats who dictate or direct the course of humanity could be examples of functional Machiavellians. For this reason, it is necessary that these concepts are understood correctly, with their good or less good parts.
Yes, it is a dark triad. But how would we separate light from darkness if we didn't have knowledge about each of them?