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🧿 Psychology
How dark is your personality?
Measure your narcissism, Machiavellianism and psychopathy.
Rate each statement 1 (strongly disagree) to 5 (strongly agree). Your score updates live.
1I tend to manipulate others to get my way.
2I have used deceit or lied to get what I want.
3I have used flattery to get my way.
4I tend to exploit others toward my own end.
5I tend to lack remorse.
6I am not very concerned about morality.
7I tend to be callous or insensitive.
8I tend to be cynical.
9I want others to admire me.
10I want others to pay attention to me.
11I seek prestige or status.
12I expect special favors from others.
What is the Dark Triad?
The Dark Triad is a framework of three overlapping but distinct "dark" personality traits, studied extensively since Paulhus & Williams (2002):
- Narcissism: Grandiosity, entitlement, dominance (items 9-12)
- Machiavellianism: Strategic manipulation, cynicism (items 1-4)
- Psychopathy: Callousness, impulsivity, lack of remorse (items 5-8)
Population norms (Dirty Dozen, Jonason & Webster 2010)
- Average score: 29/60 (men ~32, women ~27)
- High Dark Triad (top 15%): 40+ out of 60
- Very low (bottom 15%): Below 20
- Men score ~15% higher than women on average
- Dark Triad traits peak in the 20s and decline with age
What a high score means
- High scores correlate with career success but relationship instability
- CEOs score higher than the general population (Board & Fritzon, 2005)
- Having some dark traits is adaptive — the extreme end is problematic
Note: This is a screening tool for self-reflection, not a clinical diagnosis.
Sources: Jonason & Webster (2010, Dirty Dozen), Paulhus & Williams (2002), Psychological Assessment.