The Malevolent Side of Human Nature.
Level 1 - systematic review of randomized trials
Meta-analysis of observational studies; graded Level 1 by design analogy.
PubMed 28346115 · doi:10.1177/1745691616666070
What was done
The authors conducted a meta-analytic review of the dark triad (narcissism, Machiavellianism, and psychopathy) to evaluate interrelations among the three traits, gender differences, links to normal personality models (Big Five and HEXACO), and psychosocial correlates.
What was found
The abstract reports no numerical values or effect sizes. Directionally, it reports that dark triad traits are substantially intercorrelated, somewhat more prevalent among men than women, predominantly related to Big Five agreeableness and HEXACO honesty-humility, and generally associated with negative psychosocial outcomes.
Why it matters
This review synthesizes the empirical dark triad literature and questions whether narcissism, Machiavellianism, and psychopathy are sufficiently distinct constructs given current measurement practices.
Limits
The abstract reports no sample size or count of included studies. The authors highlight that the primary literature relies heavily on cross-sectional designs and self-report measures rather than multi-informant reports or longitudinal tracking.
Cited by
- partial Men are far more likely than women to exhibit Machiavellianism, with a prevalence of approximately 1 in 20 (5%) in men compared to 1 in 100 (1%) in women.