Abstract:

Purpose: The aim of the present study was to use meta-analysis methods to summarize the results of existing studies, explore the relationship between the Dark Triad and aggressive behaviors as a whole, further explore the relationships between the characteristics of the Dark Triad and different types of aggressive behaviors, and explore the relationships therebetween. By exploring the relationships between the Dark Triad and aggression in a comprehensive and in-depth manner, theoretical guidance could be provided for the future intervention of aggression and the Dark Triad, in addition to directions for future research and the discovery of new problems.

Methods: Literature on the relationship between the Dark Triad and aggressive behaviors was collected from numerous Chinese and English databases. After literature screening and literature scoring, 87 quantitative studies, 90 independent samples, and 41,273 subjects were included for meta-analysis. First, main effect analysis was conducted to analyze the relationship between the Dark Triad and aggressive behaviors. Second, the adjustment variables were set to investigate whether the relationship between the Dark Triad and aggressive behaviors is affected by the age of the participants, the gender of the participants, the type of the participants, the measurement tools, the measurement methods, the types of aggressive behaviors, the types of literature, the year of the publication, and the background of the culture.

Results: The results of the main effect analysis reveal that the relationship between the Dark Triad and aggressive behaviors was positively correlated (r = 0.338~0.405), and the strength of the relationship between Narcissism and aggressive behaviors was significantly weaker than that of Machiavellianism and Psychopathy. The results of the moderating effect analysis reveal that the relationships between different Dark Triad and aggressive behaviors were affected by different factors. To be specific: (1) the relationship between Machiavellianism and aggressive behaviors was affected by the measurement tools of Machiavellianism, type of aggression and age; (2) the relationship between mental illness and aggressive behaviors was affected by the type of literature, cultural background, gender, psychopathic measurement tools, and the type of aggression; (3) the relationship between narcissism and aggressive behaviors was affected by the publication year of the literature, the measurement methods, cultural background, gender, narcissism measurement tools and age; and (4) the relationship between the Dark Triad and aggressive behaviors was affected by the measurement method, cultural background, and literature publication year.

Conclusion: Overall, the relationship between the Dark Triad and aggressive behaviors was significantly positive, and the relationship between Narcissism and aggressive behaviors was significantly weaker than the other two dark personalities of the Dark triad. The relationships between different Dark Triad and aggressive behaviors were affected by numerous different factors: (1) Machiavellian subjects were more likely to adopt indirect aggressive behaviors, while Psychopathic subjects were more likely to adopt physical aggressive behaviors; (2) the relationship between aggression and the Dark Triad in Southeast Asia was significantly stronger than that in North America, and the relationship between aggression and the Dark Triad in North America was significantly stronger than that in Western Europe; and (3) the relationship between male aggression and the Dark Triad was significantly stronger than that between female aggression and the Dark Triad. Future researches can further investigate the structure of the Dark Triad in combination with oriental culture.

Key words: Dark Triad, Machiavellianism, Narcissism, Psychopathy, aggressive behaviors