This study examines the congruency between the recently introduced Dark Factor of Personality (D) and Antagonism (A; low Agreeableness) from the Five-Factor Model of personality. Using two samples ( Ns of 365 and 600), we examined simple zero-order correlations between D and A ( rs of .69 and .65). In addition, we used a range of relevant external criteria (e.g., antisocial behavior, aggression, domains and facets of personality, Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders [ DSM] personality disorders [PDs], impulsivity, and political skill) to examine the degree of absolute similarity in the relations that D and A bear to these criteria. These similarity coefficients were then compared with the similarities produced by measures of constructs different from D and A but similar among themselves (i.e., psychopathy and narcissism in both samples, plus depression in Sample 1). The degree of similarity between D and A (rICCs = .96 and .93) is consistent with what is observed between other measures of the same construct. We conclude that D and A yield largely identical empirical correlates and thus likely represents an instance of the jangle fallacy. We believe that future efforts would be better spent furthering the literature around the well-established Agreeableness versus Antagonism construct.

The personality constructs psychopathy, narcissism, and Machiavellianism, collectively described as the Dark Triad (DT), all reference socially aversive behavioral tendencies. Each construct is theorized to have features that differentiate it from others. Unfortunately, existing measures of the DT suffer from several problems. The present study compared newly developed measures of psychopathy (Super-Short Form of the Elemental Psychopathy Assessment), narcissism (Super-Short Form of the Five-Factor Narcissism Inventory), and Machiavellianism (Super-Short Form of the Five-Factor Machiavellianism Inventory [FFMI-SSF] based on the Five-Factor Model of personality)—collectively referred to as the Five-Factor Model Antagonistic Triad Measure—to existing DT inventories using a sample of undergraduate students ( N = 516). As predicted, FFMI-SSF showed better divergence from measures of psychopathy and better convergence with the expert Five-Factor Model (FFM) Machiavellianism profile than did existing Machiavellianism measures. Results also demonstrated that the factors within each FFM assessment manifested differentiated correlational profiles, underscoring the utility of the multifaceted assessment of these three constructs. In addition, the use of the FFM as the basis for the new DT measures provides a pathway for the integration of DT research into the larger field of basic and clinical personality science.

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The “Dark” Triad (DT) refers to three personality constructs with ties to socially aversive behaviors: psychopathy, narcissism, and Machiavellianism. These constructs are commonly assessed via omnibus self-report inventories such as the Short Dark Triad (SD3) or the Dirty Dozen (DD). Alternatively, researchers wishing to measure “dark” traits can compile stand-alone measures of each construct. Recently, the Five Factor Model Antagonistic Triad Measure (FFM ATM) was developed, which measures the DT from the perspective of the widely used Five Factor Model of personality. Initial validation studies indicated that the FFM ATM addresses common concerns with other omnibus inventories (e.g., allows for multi-faceted examination of DT constructs). The current study tested the FFM ATM in relation to these other methods of measuring the DT (i.e., omnibus inventories and combinations of single-construct measures). Across three tests of validity (i.e., nomological network analysis, intraclass correlations, and incremental validity analyses), the FFM ATM showed favorable results and outperformed other measures of the DT.

The Dark Triad (DT) refers to three socially aversive personality constructs: psychopathy, narcissism, and Machiavellianism. In response to concerns with existing self-report questionnaires measuring these constructs, we created the Five Factor Model Antagonistic Triad Measure (FFM ATM), which uses 46 items to assess multidimensional, faceted versions of the three DT constructs. The current pre-registered study used two large samples (Ns = 600 and 1,247) to explore the latent structure of the FFM ATM using bass-ackward factor analyses. Participants completed the FFM ATM as well as measures of the five-factor model, aggression, antisocial behavior, and other criteria. A series of factor analyses identified four meaningful and replicable factors (i.e., Antagonism, Emotional Stability, Impulsivity, and Agency). The authors discuss the item-composition of each of these factors, their relations to relevant criteria, and implications of conceptualizing the Antagonistic Triad as combinations of elemental traits (factors) as opposed to the multidimensional constructs of psychopathy, narcissism, and Machiavellianism.