The Dark Triad and conservatism

[Gonad the Barbarian]

What is the Dark Triad? A nefarious cult? A heavy metal band? An energy drink?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dark_triad

And conservatives have it.

http://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=1903914

This study examined correlations between moral value judgments on a 17-item Moral Intuition Survey (MIS), and participant scores on the Short-D3 “Dark Triad” Personality Inventory – a measure of three related “dark and socially destructive” personality traits: Machiavellianism, Narcissism, and Psychopathy. 567 participants (302 male, 257 female, 2 transgendered; median age 28) were recruited online through Amazon Mechanical Turk and Yale Experiment Month web advertisements. Different responses to MIS items were initially hypothesized to be “conservative” or “liberal” in line with traditional public divides. Our demographic data confirmed all of these hypothesized categorizations. We then tested two broad, exploratory hypotheses: (H1) the hypothesis that there would be “many” significant correlations between conservative MIS judgments and the Dark Triad, and (H2) the hypothesis that there would be no significant correlations between liberal MIS judgments and Machiavellianism or Psychopathy, but “some” significant correlations between liberal MIS judgments and Narcissism. Because our hypotheses were exploratory and we ran a large number of statistical tests (62 total), we utilized a Bonferroni Correction to set a very high threshold for significance (p=.0008). Our results broadly supported our two hypotheses. We found eleven significant correlations between conservative MIS judgments and the Dark Triad – all at significance level of p<.00001 – and no significant correlations between liberal MIS judgments and the Dark Triad. We believe that these results raise provocative moral questions about the personality bases of moral judgments. In particular, we propose that because the Short-D3 measures three “dark and antisocial” personality traits, our results raise some prima facie worries about the moral justification of some conservative moral judgments.

I hesitate to post this because I know full well what to expect, but what the hell.

 

[Ausm]

After reading this I understand why my oldman is such an asshole. I recommend this read to anyone who can't understand where the Conservative mindset comes from.

 

[Perknose]

Popcorn's almost ready. The El Grande tub with wheels is your best per unit value.

Meanwhile, "Lawn chairs! Hey, get your lawn chairs!"

 

[MotF Bane]

Popcorn's almost ready. The El Grande tub with wheels is your best per unit value.

Meanwhile, "Lawn chairs! Hey, get your lawn chairs!"

I'll bring the beer?

 

[polarmystery]

 

[thraashman]

So, the basic is that conservatives are shown to be Machiavellian, narcissistic, and psychopathic? You coulda gotten that from reading these forums! Hell, 4 names on P&N immediately came to mind when thinking of monsterous behavior. I don't intend to do a call out here so I won't say who.

 

[soundforbjt]

This is news?

 

[Zebo]

Beaten as children and wernt loved by their mothers. <runs away>

 

[irishScott]

I would like to point out that this was a completely online survey largely made up of Amazon Mechanical Turk workers.

But even if it is accurate, frankly I don't care. I know Conservatives and Liberals who fit the criteria (especially narcissism), and I'm going to go with correlation != causation. Hell, what was your goal here OP? You know posting this isn't going to change things, but you wanted to post it anyway. Seems like you've got a narcissistic streak yourself. Don't worry, unlike you I don't vilify people over it.

 

[Atreus21]

Aw nuts. The liberals finally discovered the secret. Narcissism, Psychopathy, and Machiavellianism.

Now we're totally ew-scrayed. Cat's outta the bag.

Ashame that those narcissistic, psychopathic, machiavellian retards still give more to charity than liberals do.

 

[Howard]

After reading this I understand why my oldman is such an asshole. I recommend this read to anyone who can't understand where the Conservative mindset comes from.

hahaha

 

[irishScott]

After reading this I understand why my oldman is such an asshole. I recommend this read to anyone who can't understand where the Conservative mindset comes from.

But I thought conservatives were the ones beat as children.

Also, if this study is accurate, then I guess the largely conservative military is just a bunch of narcissistic, Machiavellian psychopaths.

 

[woolfe9999]

Waiting for the allegation that the researchers have a left wing bias... Who knows, maybe they do.

Anyway, if you read the entire study, it raises the interesting point of how "libertarians" - as opposed to traditional conservatives - fare. The "dark triad" correlations were mainly with conservative views on social issues (i.e. capital punishment) and hawkish foreign policy. Conservative views on fiscal and economic issues didn't correlate much with dark triad personality traits (only on one question). So if you're non-interventionist in foreign policy, liberal on social issues, but fiscally and economically conservative, the study is not suggesting much "dark triad" correlation.

- wolf

 

[Genx87]

So, the basic is that conservatives are shown to be Machiavellian, narcissistic, and psychopathic? You coulda gotten that from reading these forums! Hell, 4 names on P&N immediately came to mind when thinking of monsterous behavior. I don't intend to do a call out here so I won't say who.

Craig234, Steeplerot, Ausm, and who else?

 

[Ausm]

This is news?

Not really but the report sure is an interesting read.

 

[Atreus21]

Waiting for the allegation that the researchers have a left wing bias... Who knows, maybe they do.

Anyway, if you read the entire study, it raises the interesting point of how "libertarians" - as opposed to traditional conservatives - fair. The "dark triad" correlations were mainly with conservative views on social issues (i.e. capital punishment) and hawkish foreign policy. Conservative views on fiscal and economic issues didn't correlate much with dark triad personality traights (only on one question). So if you're non-interventionist in foreign policy, liberal on social issues, but fiscally and economically conservative, the study is not suggesting much "dark triad" correlation.

- wolf

I started reading it, but got called away.

My interest was in seeing specifically what answers to which questions could be ascribed to narcissistic, psychopathic, or machiavellian personality types.

 

[Ausm]

But I thought conservatives were the ones beat as children.

Also, if this study is accurate, then I guess the largely conservative military is just a bunch of narcissistic, Machiavellian psychopaths.

If you read the whole article it covers Neocons,Social Conservatives,Fiscal Conservatives and also Libertarians. It also differentiates the ones who fall into the "Dark Triad" and the Type of Conservatives that do not.

I thought it was quite interesting and calling it rubbish without reading it in my opinion is not very bright.

 

[Ausm]

hahaha

Stop wasting bandwidth...

 

[Ninjahedge]

If you read the whole article it covers Neocons,Social Conservatives,Fiscal Conservatives and also Libertarians. It also differentiates the ones who fall into the "Dark Triad" and the Type of Conservatives that do not.

I thought it was quite interesting and calling it rubbish without reading it in my opinion is not very bright.

Rubbish!!!!


oop.....



/me turns light out.

 

[woolfe9999]

I started reading it, but got called away.

My interest was in seeing specifically what answers to which questions could be ascribed to narcissistic, psychopathic, or machiavellian personality types.

It's best to look at the study on an issue basis, rather than on a broad ideological basis.

Per the studies conclusions, the big "dark triad" correlations were with: 1) pro-capital punishment; 2) support for detention of suspected terrorists without trial; 3) support the right of the government to wage war in violation of UN resolutions; 4) believing the government should "never" intervene in free markets except to enforce contracts; and 5) being against gay marriage.

Other "conservative" positions had no correlation or only weak correlations. For example, being against wealth redistribution and/or social safety nets, per se, did not correlate much. Being pro-gun rights and against affirmative action didn't correlate at all.

Oddly enough, there was no question on abortion.

- wolf

 

[irishScott]

If you read the whole article it covers Neocons,Social Conservatives,Fiscal Conservatives and also Libertarians. It also differentiates the ones who fall into the "Dark Triad" and the Type of Conservatives that do not.

I thought it was quite interesting and calling it rubbish without reading it in my opinion is not very bright.

Didn't call it rubbish, just expressed my doubts the reasons for them.

Some of us are working and prioritize work over p&n. So sue me. Was planning to read it later.

 

[Ninjahedge]

It sounds interesting....

I wonder if this is from the mainstreaming of a lot of the conservative issues that were considered more radical even recently.

There HAS been a significant shift from the 60's and our definitions of Liberal and Conservative have shifted profoundly to the right, where "mainstream" or "centrist" beliefs are now called "liberal" by the conservative base.

So maybe it is not saying that conservatism is part of the Dark Triad so much as our definition of it has shifted more towards the fringe and accepts these tenets as more mainstream....


I wonder how many radical liberal traits are also part of the triad or is they have their own combination of anti-social emotive references....

 

[momeNt]

Stop wasting bandwidth...

That has to be sarcasm right? You are the king of bumping quotes with nothing but a :thumbsup::thumbsup:

 

[Ninjahedge]

That has to be sarcasm right? You are the king of bumping quotes with nothing but a :thumbsup::thumbsup:

:thumbsup:

 

[Atreus21]

It's best to look at the study on an issue basis, rather than on a broad ideological basis.

Per the studies conclusions, the big "dark triad" correlations were with: 1) pro-capital punishment; 2) support for detention of suspected terrorists without trial; 3) support the right of the government to wage war in violation of UN resolutions; 4) believing the government should "never" intervene in free markets except to enforce contracts; and 5) being against gay marriage.

Then unless I'm missing something, I'm fulfilling your prophesy that someone would accuse the author of left-wing bias. I don't think any political position on any single one of those issues can be honestly construed with psychopathy, narcissism, or machiavellianism.

Being in favor of capital punishment is arrived at for reasons to do with the definition of justice, not any one disorder of the dark triad.

The same could apply for the detention of suspected terrorists. Since they're not American, they're not entitled to a trial, or whatever. Whatever the reasoning is, I don't see how arguments in favor of it can be ascribed to a psychological disorder.

Waging war in violation of UN agreements deals with issues of state sovereignty. Attributing support for this issue to a psychological disorder is presupposing that the UN's political process is the only sane way to wage war, and that's a political opinion.

Being against gay marriage: I can sorta see a psychological motivation behind some conservative's opposition to it. If any criteria might be applicable to this study, this one is.

Attributing opposition to governmental intervention in markets to a psychological disorder is presupposing that governments are rightly involved in the markets, and that's a political opinion.