Illuminating dark personality traits
The Dark Triad/Tetrad is a construct that has rapidly become popular in the last 20 years and is increasingly attracting the attention of researchers and the general public. This constellation of socially aversive traits (Machiavellianism, narcissism, psychopathy, and sadism) has found application in explaining a wide range of antisocial behaviors in different contexts. Yet, there are still conceptual dilemmas regarding the dark traits which represent the backbone of my research. Among them, the key dilemmas are what constitutes the core of dark personality traits (the so-called Dark Core) and whether dark traits can be reduced to a single, central characteristic or to a basic personality trait such as honesty-humility. In support of the discussion on the similarities and differences of dark traits, I will present a part of the studies by my research team in which we examined specific relationships between dark traits and socially aversive outcomes, such as antisocial punishment and non-compliance with COVID-19 protective measures. At the end, I will consider the second generation of dark traits research and possible directions for the development of this research field in the context of organizational psychology.
Prof. dr. Bojana Dinić is an Associate Professor at the Department of Psychology, Faculty of Philosophy, University of Novi Sad. Her research field includes examining conceptual issues related to antagonistic and dark personality traits (e.g., narcissism, aggressiveness) and their outcomes, such as aggression and violence. In addition, her work includes psychometric evaluation of various measures of antagonistic traits and behaviors, as well as other phenomena So far, she has adapted over 50 instruments into Serbian and created 6, among them the AVDH Aggressiveness Questionnaire and the General Information Test (TOI-SE). In 2013, she was awarded the Best Young Researcher Award at the Faculty of Philosophy in Novi Sad; in 2018, the Early Career Award by the International Society for the Study of Individual Differences (ISSID); and in 2023 the Nenad Havelka Lecture of Honor: Award for Outstanding Achievement in the Early Phase of a Scientific Career by the program board of the scientific meeting Empirical Research in Psychology. She has been a member of the STAR Center of Excellence for Behavioral Research in Psychology since its inception within which she participates in the first twin study in Serbia and examines genetic, environmental, and epigenetic influences on aggression. She is also a long-time member of the Laboratory of Experimental Psychology at the Faculty of Philosophy in Novi Sad.