This ‘dark’ Personality Trait Is The One Most Linked To Criminal Behavior

According to the results of a recent study promoted by the Criminological and Sociological Research Institute of Belgrade, Machiavellianism would be the trait of the so-called Dark Tetrad that would be most linked to criminal behavior and criminal recidivism..

The research, led by Janko Međedović, focused on the “dark” personality traits of various inmates from various prisons in Serbia, who were voluntarily subjected to a questionnaire that sought to evaluate their Machiavellian traits. sadism, psychopathy and narcissism.

The results were clear: of all the “dark” personality traits, Machiavellianism is the one most closely linked to criminal behavior and criminal recidivism. Despite this, and as Međedović himself admits, there is still a lot of research needed to draw definitive conclusions. Today we talk about the relationship between Machiavellianism and recidivism in criminal behavior.

The relationship between Machiavellianism and criminal recidivism

The results of the surveys reflected a clear presence of Machiavellian traits in the majority of the inmates, who also took into account their criminal history, when their first crime was and the corrective measures received during their minority. All of this with the aim of obtaining much more precise answers than those derived from the simple “measurement” of the trait itself..

Međedović confirmed that one of the motivations for carrying out the study had been the almost complete absence of research among people who were serving sentences. Until now, most of the investigations had been carried out with unsentenced people, so the relationship between criminal behavior and dark traits was more difficult to determine.

The result of the research by Međedović’s team showed that, indeed, there is an evident correlation between the personality of the individual and his tendency to criminality, to which, obviously, other factors must be added, such as socioeconomic status and his family situation and staff.

What is the Dark Tetrad or Dark Tetrad?

In psychology, the group of four personality traits considered “dark” or potentially harmful is called Dark Tetrad: Machiavellianism, narcissism, sadism and psychopathy. Let’s look at them one by one.

1. Machiavellianism

Machiavellianism is the personality trait that involves strong manipulation of others in order to achieve one’s own benefit, regardless of the consequences. The term comes from Niccolò Machiavelli, a Renaissance author known especially for his work The Prince and for the famous phrase “the end justifies the means.”.

2. Narcissism

Narcissism implies excessive self-esteem, according to which the individual believes he has the right to everything, even if to do so he must go above others. The word is taken from the Greek myth of Narcissus, who died from contemplating his own image in the water.

3. Sadism

This dark personality trait is based on the pleasure that the suffering of others causes in a person. Sadism thus revels in the pain and humiliation of others. It takes its name from the Marquis de Sade, known for his humiliating and violent sexual activities..

4. Psychopathy

Finally, psychopathy implies emotional coldness and a complete inability to feel empathy. In other words, the psychopath cannot put himself in the shoes of others, so he is not moved by the suffering of others.

As we can see, any of these traits are potentially toxic and can be tremendously harmful to people, in addition to constituting clearly antisocial traits that separate the individual from behavior considered “acceptable.” This is why, in psychology, This set of personality characteristics is called Dark Tetrad or Dark Tetrad, a term that refers to its ability to cause suffering in others..

Why is Machiavellianism the main indicator of risk of crime?

For the study by the Criminological and Sociological Research Institute, 471 prisoners were selected from five Serbian prisons, most of them men in their 40s and all with different life histories. All of them participated, voluntarily, in a survey that sought to evaluate the presence of “dark” traits in their personality.

The survey combined questions from the Dirty Dozen, a questionnaire designed to detect Machiavellian, psychopathic and narcissistic traits, with some questions linked to sadism. In addition to the answers, the researchers collected information about the lives of the respondents, especially about their criminal life, their context and their level of recidivism, and also about whether they had regularly used substances before their incarceration..

The results were that, of all the Dark Tetrad traits, Machiavellianism was the main indicator of possible criminal behavior, above sadism and psychopathy. What’s more, the study also showed that men with strong Machiavellian traits were more prone to crime than women with similar characteristics. On the other hand, it was found that people with high levels of Machiavellianism in their personality tended to begin their criminal acts much earlier.

What is the reason that Machiavellianism is the main risk indicator of criminal behavior and criminal recidivism? Probably, the researchers maintain, it is due to the manipulation and deception linked to this trait, which enables the continuity of criminal actions..

And what about psychopathy, narcissism and sadism?

According to the study, the rest of the Dark Tetrad traits are also related to the risk of criminality and recidivism, but to a much lesser degree than Machiavellianism. The research concluded that psychopathy, for example, would be more related to substance use, while narcissism did not suggest strong links with crime or substance use.

The results related to sadism were quite surprising: according to the data obtained, This is a risk factor that may have more impact on women, although the same researchers state that they do not have enough data in this regard to categorically state this..

In any case, the study demonstrates that there is a strong relationship between the Dark Tetrad (and, specifically, Machiavellianism) and repeat criminal behavior. Despite this, these are results that must be confirmed with more studies in this regard and that include more population biases. Only with reliable results can plans for early detection of risk factors begin to be outlined and thus avoid criminal recidivism.