Deenz Dark Triad Personality Scale: Development, Validation, and Reliability

doi:10.21203/rs.3.rs-3565477/v2

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Deenz Dark Triad Personality Scale: Development, Validation, and Reliability

https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-3565477/v2

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This research introduces the Deenz Dark Triad Personality Scale (DTPS-33), a 33-item instrument designed to measure Machiavellianism, Narcissism, and Psychopathy. Developed by Deen Mohd in 2015, the scale underwent content validation by psychology professors and was tested on a sample of 23 students. The study aimed to assess the reliability and validity of the scale through statistical analysis.

Psychology

Dark Triad

Personality Assessment

Scale Development

Machiavellianism

Narcissism

Psychopathy.

The Dark Triad is the theory or concept of how dark the personality of an individual may be, comprising Machiavellianism, narcissism, and psychopathy. Delroy L. Paulhus and Kevin M. Williams in 2002 in a paper coined the work Dark Traid in which they focused on the dark side of personality represents a cluster of socially undesirable personality traits. The paper submitted by these two researchers led to an acknowledgment or realization of the necessity to develop a valid and reliable measurement of these distinct but correlated personality traits. Deenz Dark Triad Personality Scale (DTPS-33) was developed in 2015, consisting of 33 statements with responses ranging from strongly agree to strongly disagree. This research aims to validate and establish the reliability of the DTPS-33 through a study conducted on 23 students.

Participants:

The study included 23 students comprising both first-year and final-year students with ages ranging from 21 and 23. The gender distribution included 10 female and 13 male students. The participants were from different academic backgrounds.

Arts: 5 students
Commerce: 4 students
Computer Science: 3 students
Psychology: 11 students

Scale Development:

Item Generation:

The development of the Deenz Dark Triad Personality Scale (DTPS-33) began with an in-depth review of these three personality traits Machiavellianism, narcissism, and psychopathy. Most of the statements included in the scale were generated based on common traits associated with the Dark Triad.

Expert Review:

A panel of psychology professors from Degree College Kulgam and experts in other fields such as sociology and education reviewed the initial pool of items. Their feedback was instrumental in refining the wording of items to ensure clarity and alignment with the intended constructs.

Pilot Testing:

A pilot test was conducted with a small group of final-year psychology students (they were not included in the main study) to assess the initial clarity, comprehensibility, and relevance of the items. The final-year students provided feedback on any confusing or unclear statements, leading to further refinements.

Factor Analysis:

Likert Scale Implementation:

The Likert scale-styled responses were implemented, Likert scale is a widely used psychometric assessment, that allows participants to express nuanced responses ranging from "Strongly Disagree" to "Strongly Agree”. Participants indicate their level of agreement with the statement

By utilizing the Likert scale responses Exploratory Factor Analysis (EFA) was conducted to evaluate the underlying structure of the DTPS-33.

This statistical technique helped identify underlying factors and refine the scale to ensure it captured the distinct aspects of Machiavellianism, narcissism, and psychopathy.

Item Reduction:

Based on the factor analysis results, items that did not contribute significantly to the differentiation of the Dark Triad traits were removed.

Reliability Assessment:

To assess the internal consistency of the DTPS-33, Cronbach's alpha coefficient was calculated. This coefficient, measuring the scale's reliability, exceeded 0.85, indicating a high level of consistency in participant responses.

Appendices

For the automatic scoring and results the scale has been made available online and participation in the online version will be used for further research.

Strongly Disagree

Disagree

Neutral

Agree

Strongly Agree

Machiavellianism:

I try to find a balance between being honest and using tact.
I believe that addressing issues together can lead to better outcomes.
I strive to remain calm and composed during challenging moments.
I've noticed moments where I haven't been completely honest, but it was a necessity.
In my relationships, getting what I want is the most important, even if it means using manipulation.
Getting what I want, whether in personal or professional situations, is important, even if it means using manipulation.
If I face a conflict, my typical strategy is open communication and compromise.
In my relationships, what matters most is trust and mutual understanding.
In some situations, I believe that misrepresenting the truth is a necessity.
I enjoy giving people compliments to influence them or achieve my goals.
I prioritize my goals over the feelings and rights of others.

Narcissism:

I believe that expressing remorse is a sign of weakness or vulnerability.
I'm okay with admitting when I've made a mistake.
I respond with gentleness when someone shares they're hurt or disappointed because of something I did.
I always treat others with dignity.
I feel uneasy or uncomfortable when I hurt others.
I usually don't worry much about what's considered right or wrong.
If someone tells me about their problems, I genuinely care and try to help and support them.
When I see others in distress or pain, it doesn't bother me much.
If I witness someone being mistreated, I usually don't get involved.
I think most people are mostly focused on themselves.
When someone challenges me or makes me angry, I often act without thinking first.

Psychopathy:

I don't like being the center of attention; it makes me feel uncomfortable.
I want my efforts to be acknowledged.
I seek validation and encouragement to boost my confidence.
If I'm not included or recognized in a group or social event, it makes me feel upset and unappreciated.
I use social media to share updates about my life to get attention.
I cannot tolerate criticism.
When my needs are not met, I tend to become quickly irritated or angry.
I believe I should be treated in a special way.
I frequently boast about my achievements.
I have a strong belief in my own uniqueness.
I find it hard to form genuine connections with others.

Descriptive Statistics:

Descriptive statistics were calculated for each item on the Deenz Dark Triad Personality Scale (DTPS-33) based on the responses from the 23 participants. The mean scores and standard deviations for each trait (Machiavellianism, narcissism, and psychopathy) are presented in Table 1.

Trait	Mean Score	Standard Deviation
Machiavellianism	3.75	0.82
Narcissism	4.12	0.68
Psychopathy	3.60	0.91

Validity Analysis:

To assess the validity of the DTPS-33, correlation coefficients were calculated between the scale scores and scores from a well-established Dark Triad measurement tool Short Dark Triad (SD3). The results are summarized in Table 2.

Scale	Correlation with Established Scale
Machiavellianism	0.78
Narcissism	0.85
Psychopathy	0.72

The high positive correlations indicate a significant relationship between the DTPS-33 and the established scale, suggesting strong concurrent validity.

Reliability Analysis:

Reliability was evaluated using Cronbach's alpha coefficient. The internal consistency of the DTPS-33 was found to be 0.88, demonstrating a high level of reliability across the scale items.

Dowgwillo & Pincus: Differentiating Dark Triad Traits Within and Across Interpersonal Circumplex Surfaces (Assessment 2016) 1073191116643161.

Jones, Daniel N., and Delroy L. Paulhus. "Introducing the short dark triad (SD3) a brief measure of dark personality traits." Assessment 21.1 (2014): 28-41.

Furham, Richard & Paulhus: The Dark Triad of Personality: A 10 Year Review (Social and Personality Psychology Compass Volume 7, Issue 3, 2013) pp. 199-216.

Jonason, Kaufman, Webster & Geher: What Lies Beneath the Dark Triad Dirty Dozen: Varied Relations with the Big Five (Individual Differences Research 2013, Vol 11. No. 2) pp. 81-90.

Jonason & Webster: The Dirty Dozen: A Concise Measure of the Dark Triad (Psychological Assessment, Vol 22(2), Jun 2010) pp. 420-432.

Kajonius, Persson, Rosenberg & Garcia: The (Mis)measurement of the Dark Triad Dirty Dozen: Exploitation at the Core of the Scale (PeerJ 2016) DOI 10.7717/peerj.1748.
Online Version of Deenz Dark Triad Personality Scale: The stable version of this 33-item scale is available online https://drdeenz.com/dark-triad-test/

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Version 2

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You are reading this latest preprint version

Deenz Dark Triad Personality Scale: Development, Validation, and Reliability

Status:

Version 2

Abstract

Figures

Introduction

Methodology

Participants:

Scale Development:

Item Generation:

Expert Review:

Pilot Testing:

Factor Analysis:

Likert Scale Implementation:

Item Reduction:

Reliability Assessment:

Appendices

Machiavellianism:

Narcissism:

Psychopathy:

Results

Descriptive Statistics:

Validity Analysis:

Reliability Analysis:

References

Status:

Version 2