The Dark Triad traits predict authoritarian political correctness and alt-right attitudes

[ChrisKnight06]

Heard about this recent study on a podcast over the weekend.

https://www.cell.com/heliyon/fulltext/S2405-8440(20)31297-4

Abstract

It is well established that mainstream personality traits are associated with moderate, traditional political attitudes. However, very little is known regarding trait predictors of extreme political attitudes. In the current study (N = 511 U.S. residents), we examined the relationships between the Dark Triad traits, Entitlement and three extreme political attitudes that are highly covered in mainstream media: White Identitarianism (‘Alt-Right’), Political Correctness-Authoritarianism, and Political Correctness-Liberalism. We found that Dark Triad traits and Entitlement had incremental validity in the prediction of these 3 attitudes over demographic factors. The Dark Triad traits and Entitlement explained a substantial portion of variance in White Identitarianism and Political Correctness-Authoritarianism, and only a small portion of variance in Political Correctness-Liberalism. Across all attitudes, Psychopathy and Entitlement were the most consistent, strongest predictors. Results indicate that, from a Dark Triad perspective, Authoritarian PC advocates have more in common with extreme right advocates than those holding PC views related to compassion.

 

[DaShuckster]

Yep, two sides of the same coin. And ironically, they point to each other as the reason the vast majority of us in the center should be worried about “those other guys!”

 

[goodknightfl]

Yep, two sides of the same coin. And ironically, they point to each other as the reason the vast majority of us in the center should be worried about “those other guys!”

In what warped world are you in the center? I think you have sniffed too many Biden leftovers.

 

[NinjaKnight]

In what warped world are you in the center? I think you have sniffed too many Biden leftovers.

A better question is: in what warped world are you allowed to have an opinion? You are literally dumber than a sack of dog shit, I've seen flower pots with more intellectual fortitude and twice the empathy. The only worthwhile use for your skull you've managed to find is a place to store your teeth.

 

[Crazyhole]

A better question is: in what warped world are you allowed to have an opinion? You are literally dumber than a sack of dog shit, I've seen flower pots with more intellectual fortitude and twice the empathy. The only worthwhile use for you skull you've managed to find is a place to store your teeth.

Example: psychopathy

 

[DaShuckster]

In what warped world are you in the center?

Only on a predominantly Chud board like this one would anyone ever typecast me as a wild-eyed liberal.

 

[Crazyhole]

Just spending a few minutes trying to identify mainstream politicians in my lifetime that may fit this personality profile I came up with 2:

John Edwards and Newt Gingrich.

 

[ChrisKnight06]

Not gonna lie, the moment I saw shuck say "us" I figured it would go this way, just surprised it didn't happen quicker!

 

[Crazyhole]

Only on a predominantly Chud board like this one would anyone ever typecast me as a wild-eyed liberal.

You present yourself as being an authoritarian social liberal.

 

[Crazyhole]

Not gonna lie, the moment I saw shuck say "us" I figured it would go this way, just surprised it didn't happen quicker!

Back on topic, I think its very rare to find someone with all 3 traits which is why I dont think this theory has gained much traction. Machiavelliansim (not really a thing) doesn't coincide with psychopathy very easily in practice. Hitler is probably one of the very few examples in history. People who are calculating are rarely spontaneous and vice-versa. Narcissists can be either/or, but are more likely to be sociopaths than psychopaths unless you're watching a Christian Bale movie.

 

[Crazyhole]

Nobody cares and I'm just talking to myself on this one but I have never been as creeped out as I was watching a debate as the time Newt Gingrich invoked the term "realpolitick" to describe himself in 2012. It sounds like something that makes him smarter than everyone else, which he is, but holy crap. Literally telling everybody that you are politically pandering to them but knowing that everybody is too stupid to figure it out is kind of scary.

 

[sk8knight]

Back on topic, I think its very rare to find someone with all 3 traits which is why I dont think this theory has gained much traction. Machiavelliansim (not really a thing) doesn't coincide with psychopathy very easily in practice. Hitler is probably one of the very few examples in history. People who are calculating are rarely spontaneous and vice-versa. Narcissists can be either/or, but are more likely to be sociopaths than psychopaths unless you're watching a Christian Bale movie.

I haven’t given this much thought but I leaned the same way on first glance at this. It just feels like a situation where someone had an message they wanted to convey and shaped the rest to that message.

 

[Crazyhole]

I haven’t given this much thought but I leaned the same way on first glance at this. It just feels like a situation where someone had an message they wanted to convey and shaped the rest to that message.

They could have just simplified it down to narcissists are more likely to be authoritarian. One doesn't have to be calculating or spontaneous, nor both to fit the description.

 

[ChrisKnight06]

They could have just simplified it down to narcissists are more likely to be authoritarian. One doesn't have to be calculating or spontaneous, nor both to fit the description.

They actually discuss this in the pod. It can be difficult to differentiate "dark triad" traits and they're often just lumped together and some argue they shouldn't even be distinguished. So to your point, for them to say they scored high in psychopathy but not others.. like... how are you even distinguishing that. But yea, anyways..

 

[Crazyhole]

They actually discuss this in the pod. It can be difficult to differentiate "dark triad" traits and they're often just lumped together and some argue they shouldn't even be distinguished. So to your point, for them to say they scored high in psychopathy but not others.. like... how are you even distinguishing that. But yea, anyways..

View embedded media

I watched about 10 minutes past your timestamp there and it strikes me as odd that they invoke MLK and Malcolm x as potential examples of any form of this.

Beyond that, how does someone measure machiavallianism in real time or even by extensive psycho-analysis? The whole premise behind that term is basically dishonesty so how do you know if they are being honest about their intentions, or even later on that whatever their actions were based on a calculated intent? Its a great intellectual exercise but beyond that I dont see the point of using it as a predictor. Thats why nobody knows who is a sociopath until after the fact. Psychopathy and narcissism are fairly easy to diagnose but even they take time and observation.

 

[Crazyhole]

I really like how at about the 38 minute mark they start delving into confirmation bias. 7 people, 6 of them see one thing but the 7th sees things differently......how do you determine if its the 6 that are drawn into psychopathy or the 1? "You are crazy" can be every bit as true as "all of you are crazy". Then it falls into subjectiveness, which is where we as a society are right now on almost every issue.

 

[ChrisKnight06]

I really like how at about the 38 minute mark they start delving into confirmation bias. 7 people, 6 of them see one thing but the 7th sees things differently......how do you determine if its the 6 that are drawn into psychopathy or the 1? "You are crazy" can be every bit as true as "all of you are crazy". Then it falls into subjectiveness, which is where we as a society are right now on almost every issue.

I think you would enjoy their pod, particularly their critiques of the "left".

 

[Crazyhole]

I think you would enjoy their pod, particularly their critiques of the "left".

If this is the kind of stuff they delve into all of the time, I dont think I can handle that yet. Gets a little bit too real.

 

[Knight_Classes_begin_7pm]

In what warped world are you in the center? I think you have sniffed too many Biden leftovers.

this reply makes no sense

 

[ChrisKnight06]

If this is the kind of stuff they delve into all of the time, I dont think I can handle that yet. Gets a little bit too real.

Expand on that..

 

[Crazyhole]

Expand on that..

Expand on that..

I've just had a lot of experiences with people that have a variety of borderline or full blown personality disorders, both professionally and personally. Got really good about seeing it and dealing with it. Eventually I got kind of arrogant about that and ignored things that I knew better than to ignore and it came back to bite me in a really bad way a couple of years ago. It exposed my own weaknesses and I still haven't made peace with it. I can compartmentalize this kind of stuff well enough to have an objective conversation like this one but there's no way I could listen to that kind of stuff for fun. It just hits too close to home.

 

[ChrisKnight06]

Then who better than you to make sense of some of this madness.

 

[Crazyhole]

Then who better than you to make sense of some of this madness.

Its not that simple. I can tell you on an individual basis what may be going on in a person's mind but to act like there is a broad spectrum analysis that can be applied to a hypothesis is impossible for anyone to accomplish. Thats why I said that the model doesnt really have much traction.

People hear terms like narcissism or psychopathy and think they are overt and have obvious signs but It couldn't be further from the truth. Both are typically very subtle personality traits and pretty much everybody has some level of tendency towards them. What makes it harder to diagnose, particularly with extreme narcissism, is that part of the profile includes a learned protective behavior of denial and deceit. The theoretical anti-model of honesty/humility is equally a joke, or at best another intellectual exercise. None of the personality traits involved in either model are quantifiable.

 

[ChrisKnight06]

Try today's