Yet, in the realm of psychology, human nature has become an interesting study to delve into. This is evidenced by the dedication of psychologists who have successfully associated certain behaviors with distinctive characteristics that can be a sign of danger to human personality .

This discussion will specifically focus on the dark triad personality or sometimes called the dark personality. This personality is based on three personality pillars which involve narcissism, subclinical psychopathy, and machiavellianism. The three negative personality traits listed actually have distinct differences. However, all three can work overlapping and present in one individual.

1. Personality traits as the basis for understanding human personality

Personality traits are constructs that psychologists use to try to understand the difference between human thought and behavior.

Such an understanding involves the determination of each particular characteristic which is distinctive. Simply put, someone who is labeled a certain trait is expected to behave according to that trait consistently.

Psychologists often use patterns to refer to the five personality characteristics. The five personality characteristics in question are generally known as the big five personality traits . The five include openness, conscientiousness, extraversion, agreeableness, and neuroticism.

2. What is the dark triad personality?

The dark triad is a set of traits commonly associated with negative human behavior. It involves several categories which are quite broad in scope. Meanwhile, when referring to a non-clinical review, the dark triad is often shown to people who are considered antisocial.

As mentioned earlier, the term dark triad personality refers to three negative personality traits, which are narcissism, subclinical psychopathy, and machiavellianism. Reported by Psychology Today, this construction is known to have originated in 2002 by researchers named Delroy L. Paulhus and Kevin M. Williams.

3. The first pillar: Narcissism

The first pillar of the dark triad personality is narcissism . The clinical definition to describe it in the context of this dark personality refers to extreme concern for oneself. In addition, those who fall into the narcissistic category tend to have difficulty forming and maintaining relationships with other people.

A narcissistic person can adopt a pattern of "selfishness" concerning one own needs by making it something like a rule. However, to impose the label of narcissism on an individual, psychologists need a four-part Narcissistic Personality Inventory (NPI) scale.

NPI includes exploration of self-absorption, superiority, authority, and exploiting or exploiting others for personal gain.

4. Pilar cedar: Subclinical psychopathy

To understand what subclinical psychopathy is, it helps us understand the description of clinical psychopathy to know where the difference lies. A true psychopath (clinical psychopathy) is a label usually applied to someone who develops an antisocial life with a lack of empathy, no remorse, and usually reduced impulse control.

Through a book entitled Comprehensive Handbook of Personality and Psychopathology, Personality and Everyday Functioning, experts suggest that there is actually no qualitative difference between the two conditions.

The difference lies in the quantitative aspect. Clinical psychopathy refers to abnormal behavior that permeates most or all aspects of life. Meanwhile, subclinical psychopathy still shows the same behavior, it just produces different effects because the level and extremity of behavior tends to be lower.

5. The third pillar: Machiavellianism

The word machiavellianism has its roots in the character who coined it, namely Niccolo Machiavelli. Machiavelli is a political figure as well as a Renaissance philosopher from Italy who managed to collect personality types which were then poured into written works. His most famous work is The Prince, which outlines how a head of state should behave.

One of Machiavelli studies is about ends justifying means. This then led to the forerunner of Machiavellianism as a personality type. Individuals with Machiavellianism are highly manipulative. Not only that, they are also often seen as master liars and put forward deception to get what they want.

Because the cunning nature of the dark triad personality characteristics is difficult to diagnose, many individuals may have a hard time recognizing them as victims or even perpetrators. Of course, to label someone with a dark triad personality, it can't be careless. The reason is that the diagnosis process must involve mental health experts with a variety of procedures, both through behavioral scales to in-depth observations.

Although recognizing the dark triad personality traits is quite difficult, one can easily pick up on the danger signals. Danger signals are reflected in typical behaviors, such as a tendency to always lie, put self-interest first, and be manipulative.