To understand why people show regular patterns of socially aversive behavior, and which individuals are more likely to do so, personality psychology has particularly focused on aversive (or so-called “dark”) personality traits in recent years.
The Dark Factor of Personality (D) is the general tendency to focus on one’s own interests and disregard the harm this causes others.
Five themes of D are: callousness, deceitfulness, narcissistic entitlement, sadism, and vindictiveness.

Characteristics aversive people have in common

Callousness describes a lack of concern for other people.&nbsp;Deceitfulness represents a willingness to engage in deceptive and illegal behavior.Narcissistic Entitlement is characterized by a sense of self-importance and deservingness.Sadism describes a disposition to deliberately harm other people.Vindictiveness is characterized by a pronounced desire to seek <a href="https://www.psychologytoday.com/intl/basics/punishment" target="_self">revenge</a>.&nbsp;

5 traits linked to the dark factor of personality


<h3>KEY POINTS</h3><UL><LI>The Dark Factor of Personality (D) is the general tendency to focus on one’s own interests and disregard the harm this causes others.</LI><LI>Five themes of D are callousness, deceitfulness, narcissistic entitlement, sadism, and vindictiveness.</LI><LI>These traits are also linked to one another to a substantial degree. </LI></UL>Countless examples in world history and everyday life illustrate that people do not always act generously and cooperatively—they can behave&nbsp;in selfish and reckless ways.To understand why people show regular patterns of socially aversive behavior, and which individuals are more likely to do so, <a href="https://www.psychologytoday.com/intl/basics/personality" title="Psychology Today looks at personality" dir="ltr">personality</a> psychology has particularly focused on <a href="https://doi.org/10.1177/1745691616666070" rel="noopener noreferrer" dir="ltr">aversive (or so-called “dark”) personality traits in recent years</a>. Although a number of different aversive traits—for instance, narcissism, <a href="https://www.psychologytoday.com/intl/basics/psychopathy" title="Psychology Today looks at psychopathy" dir="ltr">psychopathy</a>, and <a href="https://www.psychologytoday.com/intl/basics/dark-triad" title="Psychology Today looks at Machiavellianism" dir="ltr">Machiavellianism</a>—have been studied, they all share a common core.<div>article continues after advertisement</div><h3>What is the dark factor of personality?</h3>One conceptualization of this common core is called the <a href="https://doi.org/10.1037/rev0000111" rel="noopener noreferrer" dir="ltr">Dark Factor of Personality, </a>D, which correlates strongly negatively with <a href="https://www.psychologytoday.com/intl/basics/hexaco" title="Psychology Today looks at HEXACO" dir="ltr">HEXACO</a> Honesty-Humility. D is understood as a general tendency to focus excessively on one’s own <a href="https://www.psychologytoday.com/intl/basics/motivation" title="Psychology Today looks at goals" dir="ltr">goals</a> and interests while disregarding the harm this behavior causes for others or even by intentionally hurting others. This disposition is accompanied by beliefs that can justify harmful behavior, such as preventing feelings of <a href="https://www.psychologytoday.com/intl/basics/guilt" title="Psychology Today looks at guilt" dir="ltr">guilt</a> or <a href="https://www.psychologytoday.com/intl/basics/embarrassment" title="Psychology Today looks at shame" dir="ltr">shame</a>.<img alt="Image by Dennis Trevisan from Pixabay." height="201" src="https://cdn.psychologytoday.com/sites/default/files/styles/article-inline-half-caption/public/field_blog_entry_images/2021-04/imagebydennistrevisanfrompixabay.jpg?itok=rcZPKoLv" title="Image by Dennis Trevisan from Pixabay." width="312"><div>Source: Image by Dennis Trevisan from Pixabay.</div>In a <a href="https://doi.org/10.1037/pas0001006%C2%A0" rel="noopener noreferrer" dir="ltr">recent study</a>, we set out to identify which personality characteristics are particularly prominent in people with high levels of D. To this end, we used data from more than 160,000 people from around the world who filled out <a href="https://qst.darkfactor.org/" rel="noopener noreferrer" dir="ltr">our&nbsp;item set assessing D</a>&nbsp;(via the common core across 10 aversive traits), receiving automatic feedback on their level in D (and the aversive traits).More specifically, participants had to read up to&nbsp;70 statements about typical attitudes, emotions, behavioral tendencies, and cognitions related to socially aversive behaviors and to decide how well these statements describe themselves. The data were then analyzed using statistical methods that uncover the personality sets underlying these statements.In line with the idea that D is a general tendency underlying socially aversive traits and behaviors, responses across all statements could well be described by a single underlying dimension. The analyses also suggested, however, that this general dimension can be further divided into five sets representing themes within D. We interpreted these five themes of D as Callousness, Deceitfulness, <a href="https://www.psychologytoday.com/intl/basics/narcissism" title="Psychology Today looks at Narcissistic" dir="ltr">Narcissistic</a> Entitlement, Sadism, and Vindictiveness.<div>article continues after advertisement</div><h3>5 traits linked to the dark factor of personality</h3>Callousness describes a lack of concern for other people. Individuals with high levels typically do not care whether their own behavior causes harm or problems for other people.Deceitfulness represents a willingness to engage in deceptive and illegal behavior, such as <a href="https://www.psychologytoday.com/intl/basics/deception" title="Psychology Today looks at lying" dir="ltr">lying</a> or cheating, to pursue one’s own interest.Narcissistic Entitlement is characterized by a sense of self-importance and deservingness, meaning that individuals with high levels typically feel entitled to more <a href="https://www.psychologytoday.com/intl/basics/attention" title="Psychology Today looks at attention" dir="ltr">attention</a> or possessions than other people. In this sense, Narcissistic Entitlement can be interpreted as a specific type of belief that allows to justify selfish or malevolent behavior.Sadism describes a disposition to deliberately harm other people in order to feel empowered and dominant or for personal pleasure and satisfaction. The harm inflicted on others can manifest in various ways, for instance physical, emotional, but also materialistic (such as destroying other people’s properties).&nbsp;<div>article continues after advertisement</div>Vindictiveness is characterized by a pronounced desire to seek <a href="https://www.psychologytoday.com/intl/basics/punishment" title="Psychology Today looks at revenge" dir="ltr">revenge</a>, even to the point that one would accept own costs for the sake of retaliation.Importantly, these five themes were shown to have much more in common than what sets them apart. That is, these characteristics are associated with one another to a substantial degree. For example, a person with high levels of Narcissistic Entitlement is very likely to also show high levels of Vindictiveness.Ultimately, the common denominator among those themes is a tendency to pursue one’s own interests at the costs of others—as is the definition of D. Indeed, we rather recommend focusing on <a href="https://doi.org/10.1037/pas0000778" rel="noopener noreferrer" dir="ltr">the overall D-score</a>, although the newly gained information about which themes can be found under the umbrella of the Dark Factor of Personality further help clarify which sets of personality characteristics are shared by people with strong socially aversive tendencies.ReferencesBader, M., Hartung, J., Hilbig, B. E., Zettler, I., Moshagen, M., &amp; Wilhelm, O. (2021). Themes of the dark core of personality.&nbsp;Psychological Assessment.&nbsp;Advance online publication.&nbsp;<a href="https://doi.org/10.1037/pas0001006" rel="noopener noreferrer" dir="ltr">https://doi.org/10.1037/pas0001006</a><UL><LI><img alt="Facebook icon" src="https://cdn.psychologytoday.com/sites/all/modules/custom/pt_social_media/img/icon-share-round-facebook-lg.svg" width="45" height="46"></LI></UL>

A recent study suggests that the dark core of personality comprises five themes.

personaldevelopment

Personal Development

<ul><li>The Dark Factor of Personality (D) is the general tendency to focus on one’s own interests and disregard the harm this causes others. </li><li>Five themes of D are callousness, deceitfulness, narcissistic entitlement, sadism, and vindictiveness. </li><li>These traits are also linked to one another to a substantial degree. </li> </ul>

Countless examples in world history and everyday life illustrate that people do not always act generously and cooperatively—they can behave in selfish and reckless ways.

To understand why people show regular patterns of socially aversive behavior, and which individuals are more likely to do so, <a href="https://www.psychologytoday.com/intl/basics/personality">personality </a>psychology has particularly focused on <a href="https://doi.org/10.1177/1745691616666070">aversive (or so-called “dark”) personality traits in recent years </a>

. Although a number of different aversive traits—for instance, narcissism, <a href="https://www.psychologytoday.com/intl/basics/psychopathy">psychopathy </a>, and <a href="https://www.psychologytoday.com/intl/basics/dark-triad">Machiavellianism </a>—have been studied, they all share a common core.

One conceptualization of this common core is called the <a href="https://doi.org/10.1037/rev0000111">Dark Factor of Personality, </a>

D, which correlates strongly negatively with <a href="https://www.psychologytoday.com/intl/basics/hexaco">HEXACO </a>Honesty-Humility. D is understood as a general tendency to focus excessively on one’s own <a href="https://www.psychologytoday.com/intl/basics/motivation">goals </a>and interests while disregarding the harm this behavior causes for others or even by intentionally hurting others. This disposition is accompanied by beliefs that can justify harmful behavior, such as preventing feelings of <a href="https://www.psychologytoday.com/intl/basics/guilt">guilt </a>or <a href="https://www.psychologytoday.com/intl/basics/embarrassment">shame </a>.

In a <a href="https://doi.org/10.1037/pas0001006%C2%A0">recent study </a>

, we set out to identify which personality characteristics are particularly prominent in people with high levels of D. To this end, we used data from more than 160,000 people from around the world who filled out <a href="https://qst.darkfactor.org/">our item set assessing D </a>

(via the common core across 10 aversive traits), receiving automatic feedback on their level in D (and the aversive traits).

More specifically, participants had to read up to 70 statements about typical attitudes, emotions, behavioral tendencies, and cognitions related to socially aversive behaviors and to decide how well these statements describe themselves. The data were then analyzed using statistical methods that uncover the personality sets underlying these statements.

In line with the idea that D is a general tendency underlying socially aversive traits and behaviors, responses across all statements could well be described by a single underlying dimension. The analyses also suggested, however, that this general dimension can be further divided into five sets representing themes within D. We interpreted these five themes of D as Callousness, Deceitfulness, <a href="https://www.psychologytoday.com/intl/basics/narcissism">Narcissistic </a>Entitlement, Sadism, and Vindictiveness.

5 traits linked to the dark factor of personality

Callousness describes a lack of concern for other people. Individuals with high levels typically do not care whether their own behavior causes harm or problems for other people.

Deceitfulness represents a willingness to engage in deceptive and illegal behavior, such as <a href="https://www.psychologytoday.com/intl/basics/deception">lying </a>or cheating, to pursue one’s own interest.

Narcissistic Entitlement is characterized by a sense of self-importance and deservingness, meaning that individuals with high levels typically feel entitled to more <a href="https://www.psychologytoday.com/intl/basics/attention">attention </a>or possessions than other people. In this sense, Narcissistic Entitlement can be interpreted as a specific type of belief that allows to justify selfish or malevolent behavior.

Sadism describes a disposition to deliberately harm other people in order to feel empowered and dominant or for personal pleasure and satisfaction. The harm inflicted on others can manifest in various ways, for instance physical, emotional, but also materialistic (such as destroying other people’s properties).

Vindictiveness is characterized by a pronounced desire to seek <a href="https://www.psychologytoday.com/intl/basics/punishment">revenge </a>, even to the point that one would accept own costs for the sake of retaliation.

Importantly, these five themes were shown to have much more in common than what sets them apart. That is, these characteristics are associated with one another to a substantial degree. For example, a person with high levels of Narcissistic Entitlement is very likely to also show high levels of Vindictiveness.

Ultimately, the common denominator among those themes is a tendency to pursue one’s own interests at the costs of others—as is the definition of D. Indeed, we rather recommend focusing on <a href="https://doi.org/10.1037/pas0000778">the overall D-score </a>

, although the newly gained information about which themes can be found under the umbrella of the Dark Factor of Personality further help clarify which sets of personality characteristics are shared by people with strong socially aversive tendencies.

Bader, M., Hartung, J., Hilbig, B. E., Zettler, I., Moshagen, M., & Wilhelm, O. (2021). Themes of the dark core of personality. Psychological Assessment . Advance online publication. <a href="https://doi.org/10.1037/pas0001006">https://doi.org/10.1037/pas0001006 </a>

Which Characteristics Do Aversive People Have in Common?

Characteristics aversive people have in common

5 traits linked to the dark factor of personality

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