Description

The “Dark Triad of Personality (D3-Short)” scale is a psychometric tool designed to quickly and effectively assess the three dark dimensions of personality, known as the “Dark Triad.” These dimensions are Narcissism, Machiavellianism, and Psychopathy. The shortened version of this scale aims to provide a comprehensive and reliable measurement of these traits with fewer items compared to the full-length scales.

Purpose

The main purpose of the D3-Short scale is to offer a brief and efficient measurement of the dark aspects of personality for use in psychological research and practice. It is used to understand the influence of these traits on behavior and interpersonal relationships.

Analysis

The D3-Short scale includes statements that evaluate the following dimensions of the Dark Triad:
Narcissism:
Statements assessing the sense of superiority, the need for admiration, and the exploitation of others.
Machiavellianism:
Statements assessing the tendency for manipulation and deception, disregard for morality, and the use of strategic behaviors for personal gain.
Psychopathy:
Statements assessing impulsivity, lack of empathy, sensation-seeking, and lack of remorse.
Participants respond to the statements using a Likert scale ranging from 1 (strongly disagree) to 7 (strongly agree).

Calibration

The total score for each dimension is calculated by summing the scores of the corresponding items. Higher scores indicate a stronger presence of the specific personality trait.

References

Paulhus, D. L., & Williams, K. M. (2002). The Dark Triad of personality: Narcissism, Machiavellianism, and psychopathy. Journal of Research in Personality, 36(6), 556–563.
Jones, D. N., & Paulhus, D. L. (2014). Introducing the Short Dark Triad (SD3): A brief measure of dark personality traits. Assessment, 21(1), 28–41.
Furnham, A., Richards, S. C., & Paulhus, D. L. (2013). The Dark Triad of personality: A 10-year review. Social and Personality Psychology Compass, 7(3), 199–216.
Rauthmann, J. F., & Kolar, G. P. (2012). How “dark” are the Dark Triad traits? Examining the perceived darkness of Narcissism, Machiavellianism, and Psychopathy. Personality and Individual Differences, 53(7), 884–889.
Miller, J. D., & Campbell, W. K. (2008). Comparing clinical and social-personality conceptualizations of narcissism. Journal of Personality, 76(3), 449–476.