I’m working on a law review article that will examine how insights about trauma and traumatization can inform law reform efforts. Part of that work involves a consideration of the psychological make-up of those who engage in abusive behaviors. Those whose personalities encompass the “Dark Triad,” i.e., a combination of narcissistic, sociopathic/psychopathic, and Machiavellian traits, come up frequently in these discussions. In fact, more than a few perpetrators of workplace bullying and abuse are said to meet the Dark Triad profile.

The article pictured in the screen shot above, Delroy L. Paulhus & Kevin M. Williams, “The Dark Triad of Personality: Narcissism, Machiavellianism, and Psychopathy,” Journal of Research in Personality (2002) (link here; account necessary), was the first articulation of the Dark Triad, analyzing how the three traits may overlap and interact.

More recently, the Dark Triad is the centerpiece of a new article by Arthur C. Brooks for The Atlantic magazine, “The Sociopaths Among Us–And How to Avoid Them” (link here). Here’s how he dives into the topic:

We all have stories of meeting people who appeared wonderful at first but turned out to be just awful. Perhaps it was a charming suitor, or a charismatic colleague, or a fascinating new friend. They attracted you on initial impression, but before long, you started to notice behaviors that gave you pause. Maybe it was a little shading of the truth here and there, or a bit too much vanity and selfishness. Perhaps they constantly played the victim, or took credit for other people’s work.

Or maybe your disillusionment with the person was not gradual, but through a dramatic—and dramatically unpleasant—episode. All it may take is a minor disagreement, and suddenly, you get screamed at, threatened with retaliation, or reported to HR. This kind of encounter leaves you, understandably, baffled, hurt, and confused.

Very likely, this person was a “Dark Triad” personality. The term was coined by the psychologists Delroy Paulhus and Kevin Williams in 2002 for people with three salient personality characteristics: narcissism, Machiavellianism, and a measurable level of psychopathy. These people confuse and hurt you, because they act in a way that doesn’t seem to make sense. As one scholar aptly described the ones whose behavior shades more obviously into psychopathy, these are “social predators who charm, manipulate, and ruthlessly plow their way through life, leaving a broad trail of broken hearts, shattered expectations, and empty wallets.”

For the curious, there’s a lot of stuff out there about the Dark Triad, as a quick Google search will reveal. To explore the Dark Triad in specific settings, simply search “Dark Triad and —” to limit the scope of what comes up. When I get a chance, I’d like to do a deeper read into the abundant popular and scholarly literature on the Dark Triad at work.