Four Reasons to Dump the Dark Triad Label

"You've undoubtedly heard the term " dark triad," the unpalatable collection of the three personality traits of psychopathy, narcissism, and Machiavellianism (tendency to exploit and manipulate others). The "dark" in this term is self-explanatory, and if you know someone who fits the definition, you'd certainly agree that it seems appropriate. So, why would researchers in this very field decide to excise it from psychology's vocabulary?"

"Reason 1: Stigma Labeling anyone as equal to a term that most would regard as awful creates what's known as a "stigma," or a sign that a person should be avoided if not ostracized. With the dark triad, the problem is that two of the three qualities, psychopathy and narcissism, are central to two personality disorders. As diagnosable conditions, Chester et al. argue that "Applying an amorphous and evil-adjacent term to these individuals is inconsistent with mainstream thinking about appropriate language for clinically relevant constructs.""

The label 'dark triad' groups psychopathy, narcissism, and Machiavellianism under a single, morally loaded category. Grouping these traits as uniformly "dark" creates stigma, particularly because psychopathy and narcissism map onto diagnosable personality disorders that carry severe life consequences such as incarceration, relationship rejection, and employment barriers. Using an amorphous, evil-adjacent label conflicts with appropriate clinical language and obscures structural and measurement differences among the traits. Retiring the term would reduce stigma and promote clearer, more precise measurement and understanding of the distinct core features of these personality traits.

Read at Psychology Today