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Exploring the Dark Side of Personality: Emotional Awareness, Empathy, and the Dark Triad Traits in an Italian Sample

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Abstract

The Dark Triad represents a collection of three socially aversive traits, namely Machiavellianism, psychopathy, and narcissism. In this study, we examined the psychometric properties of the Italian translation of the Dark Triad Dirty Dozen (DTDD) in a sample of 799 adults, and we explored the associations among Dark Triad traits, theory of mind, empathy, and alexithymia. The DTDD showed a good internal consistency and a bifactor structure including a three-factor non-hierarchical model and a global, second-order factor with all of the DTDD items loading on it. The DTDD traits were positively associated with alexithymia and negatively associated with theory of mind and empathy. Also, results of regression analyses showed that difficulty identifying feelings and a reduced emotional reactivity were significant predictors of the Dark Triad traits. Our findings support the validity and reliability of the Italian translation of the DTDD, and suggest that individuals with high levels of Dark Triad traits may have difficulties in understanding and processing their own rather than other people’s emotional states.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Faculty of Human and Social Sciences, UKE – Kore University of Enna, Cittadella Universitaria, 94100, Enna, SN/R14, Italy

    Adriano Schimmenti, Alessia Passanisi, Luana La Marca & Nunzia Di Dio

  2. School of Social Sciences and Psychology, Penrith, Australia

    Peter K. Jonason

  3. Department of Social Sciences, University of Verona, Verona, Italy

    Alessia M. Gervasi

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  1. Adriano Schimmenti
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  2. Peter K. Jonason
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  3. Alessia Passanisi
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  4. Luana La Marca
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  5. Nunzia Di Dio
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  6. Alessia M. Gervasi
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Correspondence to Adriano Schimmenti.

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All procedures performed in studies involving human participants were in accordance with the ethical standards of the institutional and/or national research committee and with the 1964 Helsinki declaration and its later amendments or comparable ethical standards.

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On behalf of all authors, the corresponding author states that there is no conflict of interest.

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Schimmenti, A., Jonason, P.K., Passanisi, A. et al. Exploring the Dark Side of Personality: Emotional Awareness, Empathy, and the Dark Triad Traits in an Italian Sample. Curr Psychol 38, 100–109 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12144-017-9588-6

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