Development and Validation of the Faceted Dark Triad (FDT) Scale.

Abstract

Psychopathy, narcissism, and Machiavellianism, the "Dark Triad" (DT), share a common core of personality facets from the (dis)agreeableness domain (e.g., callousness, deceitfulness). Most DT scales neglect facet-level measurement, instead, adopting broad multidimensional scales that undermine precision and clarity. In contrast, the Elemental Psychopathy Assessment, Five-Factor Machiavellianism Inventory, and Five-Factor Narcissism Inventory used the basic trait approach (i.e., combining relevant Five-Factor Model [FFM] facets) to avoid these issues and provide numerous innovations. However, because they were developed separately, simultaneous use is problematic due to length and three forms of redundancy: (1) identical facets are used in multiple scales, (2) near-identical facets with different labels are used in multiple scales, and (3) numerous ostensibly different facets, derived from the same FFM facet, were developed. The unintended consequence being construct proliferation and jingle-jangle fallacies. This article describes a multi-study integration of these measures to develop a single set of unique facets to assess the DT at facet (e.g., Straightforwardness), domain (e.g., Antagonism), and construct (e.g., Psychopathy) level: the Faceted Dark Triad (FDT) Scale. The FDT, in long, short, and super-short form, provides efficient and theoretically coherent assessment of the DT, with superior psychometric properties and criterion prediction, compared with the original measures and Short Dark Tetrad (SD4).