Dark Triad · personality trait
Psychopathy
Impulsivity, thrill-seeking, and low empathy — cool even under pressure.
At a glance
In plain words
Subclinical psychopathy describes a mix of low empathy, impulsivity, risk- and thrill-seeking, and great calm under pressure. People high on it are hard to rattle, act more quickly, and feel less remorse.
This is not the same as "dangerous" or "criminal." It refers to a personality trait that — like the others — is present to varying degrees across the population. Fearlessness and composure can even be an advantage in some situations.
Clinical-forensic "psychopathy" (e.g. per Hare) is the extreme, rare form. The everyday score discussed here should be kept separate from that.
lower higher
Direction of typical associations (not exact values). Based on Paulhus & Williams (2002) and SD3 research.
Not either-or: the trait is distributed like a bell curve — most people sit in the middle, few at the extremes. (Illustration)
The science
Definition & framing
Within the Dark Triad (Paulhus & Williams, 2002), subclinical psychopathy is marked by callousness (emotional coldness / low empathy), impulsivity, sensation-seeking, low anxiety/fearlessness, and shallow guilt or remorse. Of the three traits it is considered the "most malevolent."
Early descriptions come from Cleckley ("The Mask of Sanity," 1941). A common distinction is between primary (fearless, cold) and secondary (impulsive, anxious) psychopathy.
Facets (triarchic model)
An influential model (Patrick, Fowles & Krueger, 2009) breaks psychopathy into three building blocks: boldness (fearlessness / social dominance), meanness (callousness / exploitation), and disinhibition (impulsivity / low self-control).
Measurement
In forensic practice the PCL-R (Hare) dominates. For the general population, self-report scales such as the Self-Report Psychopathy (SRP) or the Levenson scales (LSRP, 1995) are used; within the Dark Triad, the 9-item SD3 subscale (Jones & Paulhus, 2014).
Correlates
Subclinical psychopathy goes with low agreeableness and conscientiousness, greater risk-taking and aggression, and a short-term relationship/mating strategy. Within the triad it shows the strongest links to antisocial behavior.
Important
This page explains an everyday personality trait — not a diagnosis and not a statement about dangerousness. An online test does not replace a clinical-forensic assessment. If you are struggling, please talk to a professional.
Learn moreFrequently asked
Does a high psychopathy score mean someone is dangerous?
No. It refers to a normally distributed personality trait (fearlessness, impulsivity, low empathy), not criminality or dangerousness. Only the rare, extreme clinical-forensic form is a different matter.
What's the difference between primary and secondary psychopathy?
Primary psychopathy is more fearless and cold; secondary is more impulsive and anxious/reactive.
What is the triarchic model?
A model (Patrick et al., 2009) that splits psychopathy into boldness (fearlessness), meanness (coldness), and disinhibition (impulsivity).
How is psychopathy measured?
Forensically with the PCL-R (Hare); via self-report with the SRP or LSRP (Levenson et al., 1995); within the Dark Triad with the SD3 (Jones & Paulhus, 2014).
Where do you land?
The darkquiz test places you on all three axes of the Dark Triad — through everyday scenarios, in a few minutes.
Take the testThe other two traits
Sources
- Paulhus & Williams (2002), Journal of Research in Personality, 36, 556–563
- Jones & Paulhus (2014), Short Dark Triad (SD3), Assessment, 21(1), 28–41
- Lee & Ashton (2005), Dark Triad in the HEXACO model, Personality and Individual Differences, 38, 1571–1582
- Dark Triad — Wikipedia (overview & further references)