Hedonism, achievement, and power : universal values that characterize the Dark Triad

Petri J. Kajonius, Björn N. Persson, Peter K. Jonason

    Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

    105 Citations (Scopus)

    Abstract

    Using a sample of Swedes and Americans (N= 385), we attempted to understand the Dark Triad traits (i.e., Machiavellianism, narcissism, and psychopathy) in terms of universal social values. The Dark Triad traits correlated significantly with all 10 value types, forming a sinusoid pattern corresponding to the value model circumplex. In regression analyses, Machiavellianism and narcissism were positively associated with the values Achievement and Power, while psychopathy was positively associated with the values Hedonism, and Power. In addition, the Dark Triad traits explained significant variance over the Big Five traits in accounting for individual differences in social values. Differences between the Swedish and the US sample in the social value Achievement was mediated by the Dark Triad traits, as well as age. Given the unique complex of values accounted for by the Dark Triad traits compared to the Big Five traits, we argue that the former account for a system of self-enhancing "dark values", often hidden but constantly contributing in evaluations of others.
    Original languageEnglish
    Pages (from-to)173-178
    Number of pages6
    JournalPersonality and Individual Differences
    Volume77
    DOIs
    Publication statusPublished - 2015

    Keywords

    • Dark Triad
    • Machiavellianism (psychology)
    • narcissism
    • psychopathy
    • social values

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