Psychometric characteristics of the Short Questionnaire of the Dark Triad

Psychology

Authors

  • Dmitry S. Kornienko Perm State National Research University, 15 Bukireva St., Perm, 614990
  • Fedor V. Derish Perm State National Research University, 15 Bukireva St., Perm, 614990

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.17072/2078-7898/2019-4-525-538

Keywords:

psychometrics, validity, reliability, personality traits, Dark Triad, Machiavellianism, Narcissism, Psychopathy, IRT

Abstract

In recent years, the study of negative personality traits has aroused the interest of researchers. One example is the complex of three personality traits: Machiavellianism, Narcissismus and Psychopathy, which is referred to as the Dark Triad. The study of this phenomenon is also associated with the creation of diagnostic tools to measure the traits that make up the Dark Triad. The article presents the psychometric foundations of the "Short Questionnaire of the Dark Triad" and two versions of the questionnaire, adapted on the Russian sample. The study consists of sequential psychometric testing procedures, including retest reliability analysis, questionnaire structure, and assessment of individual items using the IRT. The aim of the study is to assess the psychometric quality of the questionnaire using classical (linear) and non-linear methods. The sample consisted of 459 people (69.5% were women). Two versions of the questionnaire were created: full (27 items) and adjusted (18 items). The structure of the adapted variants in general coincides with the original questionnaire. We found sufficient reliability for the traits of the Dark Triad (Machiavellianism - 0.72; Narcissism - 0.75 and Psychopathy - 0.65), which is consistent with the data of other studies. Retest reliability showed reproducibility of the results. A comparison of Machiavellianism, Narcissism, and Psychopathy with personality traits on the NEHASO-60 questionnaire shows negative correlations with Honesty-Preference to Deception, Emotionality, and Benevolence. The results suggest that both versions of the questionnaire are acceptable for diagnosing the traits that make up the Dark Triad.

Author Biographies

Dmitry S. Kornienko, Perm State National Research University, 15 Bukireva St., Perm, 614990

Doctor of Psychology, Associate Professor,Head of the Department of General and Clinical Psychology

Fedor V. Derish, Perm State National Research University, 15 Bukireva St., Perm, 614990

Assistant of the Department of General and Clinical Psychology

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McHoskey, J.W. (1995). Narcissism and Machiavellianism. Psychological Reports. Vol. 77, iss. 3, pp. 755–759. DOI: https://doi.org/10.2466/ pr0.1995.77.3.755

Morizot, J.M., Ainsworth, A.T. and Reise, S.P. (2007). Towards modern psychometrics: Application of item response theory models in personality research. Handbook of research methods in personality psychology, ed. by R.W. Robins, R.C. Fraley, R.F. Krueger. New York: Guilford Press, pp. 407–423.

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Paulhus, D. and Williams, K. (2002). The Dark Triad of personality: Narcissism, Machiavellianism, and psychopathy. Journal of Research in Personality. Vol. 36, iss. 6, pp. 556–563. DOI: https://doi.org/ 10.1016/s0092-6566(02)00505-6

Raskin, R. and Hall, C.S. (1979). A Narcissistic Personality Inventory. Psychological Reports. Vol. 45, iss. 2, p. 590. DOI: https://doi.org/10.2466/ pr0.1979.45.2.590

Roeser, K., McGregor, V.E., Stegmaier, S. et al. (2016). The Dark Triad of personality and unethical behavior at different times of day. Personality and Individual Differences. Vol. 88, pp. 73–77. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.paid.2015.09.002

Samejima, F. (2016). Graded response models. Handbook of item response theory: Volume 1. London: Chapman and Hall Publ., pp. 123–136. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1201/9781315374512

Schumacker, R.E. (2002). Latent variable interaction modeling. Structural Equation Modeling. Vol. 9, iss. 1, pp. 40–54. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1207/ s15328007sem0901_3

Stankov, L. and Knezevic, G. (2005). Amoral social attitudes and value orientations among Serbs and Australians. Australian Journal of Psychology. Vol. 57, iss. 2, pp. 115–128. DOI: https://doi.org/ 10.1080/00049530500048649

Veselka, L., Schermer, J.A. and Vernon, P.A. (2012). The Dark Triad and an expanded framework of personality. Personality and Individual Differences. Vol. 53, iss. 4, pp. 417–425. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.paid.2012.01.002

Williams, K.M., Paulhus, D.L. and Hare, R.D. (2007). Capturing the four-factor structure of psychopathy in college students via self-report. Journal of Personality Assessment. Vol. 88, iss. 2, pp. 205–219. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/00223890701268074

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2019-12-30

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