How “dirty” is the Dark Triad? Dark character profiles, swearing, and sociosexuality

Introduction

“I love French wine, like I love the French language. I have sampled every language, French is my favorite. Fantastic language. Especially to curse with: Nom de dieu de putain de bordel de merde de saloperie de connard d’enculé de ta mère.

It’s like wiping your arse with silk. I love it”.

“Choice is an illusion created between those with power and those without”.

“Please, ma cherie. I have told you. We are all victims of causality. I drank too much wine, I must take a piss. Cause and effect”.

—The Merovingian in Matrix Reloaded (Silver, Wachowski & Wachowski, 2003)

Dark personality traits are expressed as manipulativeness, a cynical worldview and lack of morality (i.e., Machiavellianism), a sense of grandiosity and vulnerable self-esteem (i.e., narcissism), and also low conscientiousness, high impulsivity, and high levels of thrill-seeking behavior (i.e., psychopathy). Although each of these behaviors are associated with a specific dark character trait (Paulhus & Williams, 2002; Furnham, Richards & Paulhus, 2013; Hare, 1985; Jones & Paulhus, 2009; Jones & Paulhus, 2014), individuals high in any of the dark character traits tend to be uncooperative and unagreeable (Garcia et al., 2015; Garcia & Rosenberg, 2016; Kajonius et al., 2016). In other words, malevolent character seems to be a form of immature character¹ expressed as being unempathetic, lacking self-control, and having low “moral intuition”. Individuals high in these dark traits often use violence (both verbal and physical) and also promiscuous and “dirty” behavior to manipulate or submit others in order to gain power or fulfill own desires (i.e., an outlook of separation), hence, they lack a sense for cooperation and altruism (i.e., an outlook of unity; Cloninger, 2004).

For instance, swear words, which main purpose is to express emotions, especially anger and frustration (Jay, 2000; Jay & Janschewitz, 2008), are more frequently used by individuals who are higher in the dark character traits. More specifically, words that express anger and negative emotion seem to be more frequently used by individuals high in Machiavellianism and psychopathy, while words related to sex are more frequently used by individuals high in narcissism (Sumner et al., 2012). Importantly, a wide range of research suggest that swearing, in moderation, may increase pain tolerance (Stephens, Atkins & Kingston, 2009) and even reduce stress (Byrne, 2018). Hence, it is important to understand the mechanism behind swearing in relation to dark personality traits. In this context, according to the (A)attitude-(B)behavior-(C)cognition-hypothesis of taboo words, the level of offensiveness of swear words predicts how often people swear (Rosenberg, Sikström & Garcia, 2017). Thus, the way the individual perceives how offensive the word is and how often she/he uses the swear word are two separate features that might relate differently to high levels of the dark traits. If it is so, individuals who score high in the dark traits are expected to swear often and to not see the swearing words they use as offensive.

Furthermore, other type of “dirty” behavior related to malevolent traits can be observed with regard to a person’s attitude towards sexual life. Individuals, specially males, who are high in the dark traits use an exploitative short-term mating strategy,² that is, an strategy with tactics to avoid entangling commitments (Jonason et al., 2009; Jonason, Li & Czarna, 2013; Jonason & Buss, 2012; González Moraga, Nima & Garcia, 2017). In this context, sociosexuality or differences in a person’s willingness to engage in sexual relations without closeness, commitment, and other indicators of emotional bonding, can be understood in three different components: sociosexual behavior (i.e., individuals’ previous sexual experience, relationships, and infidelity), sociosexual attitude (i.e., aspects of behavior and desire influenced by moral feelings, reflections and self-presentation based on values, habits and social effects), and sociosexual desire (i.e., the notion of a dispositional motivation that refers to effort given to temporary and long-term sexual relationships) (Penke & Asendorf, 2008; Simpson & Gangestad, 1992). Importantly, past findings on the main effects of high levels of socosexuality on people’s health range from negative to positive to even nonsignificant (Vrangalova & Ong, 2014).

In sum, the relationship between “dirty” behavior and malevolent character is not consistent. One probable part of this shortcoming might be the current understanding of traits as the basic unit of personality (Cloninger & Zwir, 2018; Cloninger et al., 2020). Most of the current studies on dark traits, if not all, conduct some type of association analyses between the malevolent dark traits and different outcomes. Molecular studies, however, indicate that the basic unit of personality is actually profiles, not traits (see Zwir et al., 2018a; Zwir et al., 2018b; Zwir et al., 2019a; Zwir et al., 2019b; Cloninger & Cloninger, 2019). Therefore, the purpose of the present study is to test a relatively new approach, the Dark Cube, to study the relationship between the dark traits and peoples’ swearing and sociosexuality. The question is if this approach adds any new information to the common linear correlation approach.

The Dark Cube

The Dark Cube (Garcia & Rosenberg, 2016; Garcia, 2018; Garcia & González Moraga, 2017; Garcia et al., 2018) is based on the presupposition that the Dark Triad is composed of overlapping yet distinctive constructs that can be measured separately (Paulhus & Williams, 2002) but that may vary within the individual. Hence, the Dark Cube consists of all eight possible combinations of high/low scores in the three dark traits (Fig. 1). This is one way of addressing personality traits as a whole system unit or a dynamic complex adaptive system (cf. Cloninger, 2004). This approach allows for the nonlinear investigation of, in this case, malevolent character profiles (see also Bergman & Wångby, 2014; Bergman & Magnusson, 1997; Cloninger, Svrakic & Svrakic, 1997). For instance, despite the fact that some studies using the Big Five traits (Costa Jr, McCrae & Dye, 1991; John & Srivastava, 1999; González Moraga, 2015) have found associations between, for example, neuroticism and some of the dark traits, these associations are not consistent in the literature (Vernon et al., 2008). Studies using the Dark Cube on the other hand, show that Big Five traits and the malevolent characters traits are associated only under certain conditions, thus, probably explaining the inconsistencies in the literature (Garcia, 2018). For example, while high levels of narcissism are associated to high levels of extraversion and high levels of psychopathy are associated to high levels of low agreeableness per se; high Machiavellianism was associated to high neuroticism only when both narcissism and psychopathy were low, high narcissism and high conscientiousness were associated only when both Machiavellianism and psychopathy were also high, and high psychopathy and high neuroticism were associated only when Machiavellianism was low and narcissism was high (Garcia & González Moraga, 2017). In other words, the Dark Cube analyses showed how the complex interactions between dark traits within the individual, an interaction that is often ignored in a majority of studies, may explain inconsistencies, such as, why high levels of psychopathy are in some studies associated to high levels of neuroticism and not associated at all in others (Garcia et al., 2015). More specifically, the Dark Cube analyses suggest that individuals high in psychopathy have a proneness to worry, rumination, hostility, sadness, hopelessness, impulsiveness, and sensitivity in social situations (i.e., high neuroticism) if they are also low in manipulative tendencies and highly narcissistic at the same time (Garcia & González Moraga, 2017). Hence, the Dark Cube, with its eight dark malevolent profiles, is a tool that might help to clarify some of the mixed and inconsistent associations in the Dark Triad literature (Garcia, 2018).

Ethics Statement

Since the study did not involve a physical intervention and no information on individual health issues was involved in the study, there was no need to involve the ethical board, according to Swedish law at the time the data was collected (2014-2015). The World Medical Association Declaration of Helsinki (1964) was followed. Participants, workers from the crowdsourcing platform Amazon’s Mechanical Turk, provided their consent by simply accepting the task (or HIT as it’s called in Amazon Mechanical Turk) and then starting to answer the survey. This acceptance is recorded electronically together with the participants’ answers.

Study 1: Swearing

Study 2: Sociosexuality

General Discussion

The aims in this set of studies were to investigate the relationship between malevolent character traits and “dirty” behavior (i.e., swearing and sociosexual orientation) using non-linear methods (i.e., comparisons between individuals who differed in one malevolent character trait but were alike in the other). As shown by the discrepancies between the results from the correlation analyses and the results from the paired t-test, the Dark Cube approach considers the complexity of processes within the person (cf. Cloninger & Zohar, 2011). At a general level, the results of this nonlinear approach suggested that the frequent usage, not level of offensiveness, of swear words was associated to Machiavellianism and narcissism. In other words, individuals with high levels in these traits might swear and are verbally offensive often because they do not see swearing as offensive (cf. with the attitude-behavior-cognition-hypothesis of taboo words; Rosenberg, Sikström & Garcia, 2017). Moreover, a promiscuous sexual attitude and desire were related to each dark trait only when the other two were low. Additionally, promiscuous sociosexual behavior was not associated to these malevolent character traits. That is, individuals high in the dark traits are willing to and have the desire to engage in sexual relations without closeness, commitment, and other indicators of emotional bonding. However, they do not report high levels of previous sexual experience, relationships, and infidelity. Hence, they approve and desire for it, but they are not actually doing it.

Some important limitations are the fact that the present study was cross-sectional and that the data were self-reported and therefore subject to personal perceptual bias. Replication and longitudinal studies should therefore be the next step. In addition, future studies should be conducted by controlling for demographics, such as, education, age, and gender. That being said, recent studies show that individuals who score high in self-reported dark traits display a congruent identity to their self-reported scores. For example, individuals high in Machiavellianism describe themselves as sarcastic, those high in narcissism describe themselves as extroverted and leaders, while those high in psychopathy describe themselves as mean (e.g., Garcia et al., 2020). In addition, individuals’ narratives have also been found as predictive of personality traits (e.g., Garcia & Sikström, 2014; Garcia, Kjell & Sikström, 2013; Garcia, Kjell & Sikström, 2014; Garcia, Kjell & Sikström, 2020). Thus, self-reported dark character traits are probably good measures that are predictive of actual malevolent and “dirty” behavior (see also Moradi et al., 2015).

Nevertheless, the most important limitation is actually the measure we used here to operationalize the dark triad (i.e., the Dark Triad Dirty Dozen). First of all, we opted to use a 7-point Likert scale (cf. Jonason & Luévano, 2013), but other studies have used a 5-point Likert scale (e.g., Jonason, Li & Czarna, 2013; Jonason, Slomski & Partyka, 2012) or even a 9-point Likert scale (e.g., Jonason & Webster, 2010). This variation makes it difficult to compare samples, thus, our findings need to be replicated using more reliable measures of the Dark Triad (see also Persson, 2019). Secondly, the validity of the Dark Triad Dirty Dozen has been criticized (e.g., Lee et al., 2013; Miller & Lynam, 2012; Paulhus & Jones, 2014). Some studies have actually suggested that the Dark Triad Dirty Dozen actually measures a Dark Dyad: an anti-social trait (an amalgamation of Machiavellianism and psychopathy) and narcissism (e.g., Garcia & Rosenberg, 2016; Kajonius et al., 2016; Persson et al., 2016). In addition, besides the methodological issues with the Dark Triad Dirty Dozen, conceptually, human personality and specifically character involves how we view our-selves, our relationship with others and society, and our existence as a whole (Cloninger, 2004). This ternary awareness of the self (i.e., the self, others and something greater that the self) is a whole system unit that is biopsychosocial in nature (Cloninger, 2004). In this context, while narcissism may correspond to character in relation to the self and the antisocial amalgamated Machiavellianism-psychopathy trait may correspond to character in relation to others, the Dark Triad seems to lack a character that corresponds to spirituality or the view of the self in relation to something bigger that the self (Garcia & Rosenberg, 2016). If it is so, the traits included in the Dark Cube as a model of dark and malevolent character profiles need to be reconsidered.

Finally, it is plausible to argue that calling swearing and high scores in sociosexuality for “dirty” behaviors is a bit too much. That being said, swearing is commonly known as “dirty” language (Jay, 2000). Even the measure used here for the dark traits is known as the Dark Triad “Dirty” Dozen, that is referring to a “quick and dirty” measure. Nonetheless, promiscuous sexual behavior or high scores in sociosexuality are not necessary seen as “dirty” in all cultures and contexts (Davis & Whitten, 1987). Related to this, some might argue that the dark traits have been associated with some of humanities’ greatest vices, but also greatest virtues. Thus, suggesting that whether the traits are dark or malevolent might be in the eye of the beholder or depends on the situation. For instance, some researchers have even depicted a romantic picture of an agentic “James Bond” character based on the association between high scores in the Dark Triad traits and being extraverted, open, emotionally stable, having high self-esteem, and with a more individualistic and competitive approach to others (e.g., Jonason, Li & Teicher, 2010). However, not only have these studies low replicability and sometimes even contradictory findings (see for example Garcia, Rapp Ricciardi & Ambjörnsson, 2016), but many of these studies do not take into consideration or discuss the fact that high agency without high communion (i.e., cooperation, empathy, social tolerance, and helpfulness) and spirituality (i.e., spiritual acceptance and meaning beyond the self) does not lead to a virtuous life (Cloninger, 2004). Indeed, features such as hope, empathy, and respect for one’s self and others emerges from a self-transcendent outlook on life with a sense of participation in the boundless unity of all things or inseparable connectedness with nature and other people (Cloninger, 2004; Garcia et al., 2019). In other words, even if a person who is high in dark traits is agentic, without compassion, she/he will always be self-serving and egocentric. Which in other words will lead to manipulation and other type of behavior that here is depicted as dark or malevolent.

Concluding Remarks

The present investigation gives a nonlinear approach to the study of the Dark Triad traits and their “dirty” behavior, in this case swearing and high levels of sociosexuality. The use of person-centered and non-linear methods, such as the Dark Character Cube, are helpful in the advancement of a coherent theory of a biopsychosocial model of dark character. Human character is, after all, a complex dynamic adaptive system (Cloninger, 2004). As such, malevolent character should express the characteristics of multi-finality and equifinality. Others, however, have pointed out that darkness is just the absence of light, and that we probably need to investigate the lack or underdevelopment of light character traits in order to understand what makes individuals live a virtuous or a vicious life (Garcia & Rosenberg, 2016; cf. Cloninger, 2004).

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