Obscure Triad: Narcissism, Machiavellianism And Psychopathy

Those who lack the ability to connect with others or have the ability to deliberately disconnect from their emotions may be part of this dark triad. There is a set of personality characteristics that define narcissism, Machiavellianism and psychopathy.

In the most extreme cases, individuals who share the characteristics of this triad become criminals or become lost in the broad spectrum of mental illness. However, there are also those who do not meet the criteria for a psychiatric diagnosis and live with us on a daily basis.

People who exhibit these traits and forms of behavior are called obscure personalities because of their insensitive, selfish, and malevolent tendencies in their relationships with others. Delroy Paulhus and Kevin-Williams, psychologists at the University of British Columbia, were responsible for naming the darkest triad of the most negative part of human relationships.

the narcissism

“Everything is allowed for me” or “Others only exist to adore me” are typical examples of thoughts dominated by narcissism. They are selfish people, with a self-centered sense of entitlement and a positive self-image, although unrealistic if we consider the opinions of those around them.

Narcissists are “snake charmers.” At first they are very dear to others, their behavior is pleasant and attractive, but over time they can become very dangerous. They may even unintentionally show you what your true intentions are: to gain more admiration and power.

They often get bored with the routine, so they look for tough challenges. The  most narcissistic demand a leadership position, law or any other profession that involves high levels of stress. According to psychoanalyst Michael Maccoby, narcissism is an increasingly frequent disorder at the upper levels of the business world and is directly related to competition, salary and glamour.

One of their strengths is their great ability to convince. Thanks to this, they surround themselves with a large number of followers, they are able to convince without making any effort. In short, they always get what they set out to do. Furthermore, as they are not empathetic, they are not scrupulous about the means and strategies they use to achieve their goals.

Narcissists’ interest and concern for others is zero, despite their great theatricality. They are unrepentant and unmoved by the needs and feelings of those around them.

Now your Achilles heel is your self-esteem. Narcissists often have very low self-esteem, which is accompanied by internal vulnerability and instability. Therefore, they usually try to relate to people they consider inferior to exercise their domain and feel powerful.

Machiavellianism

For the “Machiavellians”, the end justifies the means, regardless of the consequences that may arise. They are often very calculating and cold people, destroying any kind of true emotional connection with others. Although they have traits in common with narcissists, such as selfishness and the use of others, there is a characteristic that sets them apart: they are realistic in their perceptions and estimates of their abilities and the relationships they maintain.

The “Machiavellians” don’t try to impress anyone, on the contrary. They show themselves as they are and prefer to see things clearly, because that way they can better manipulate the other. In fact, they focus on the emotions of the people they want to manipulate to get what they want. If they know your feelings, it will be easier to choose the best strategy to manipulate you.

According to psychologist Daniel Goleman, people with Machiavellian characteristics may have less empathy for others. Their coldness seems to stem from a lack of processing both their own emotions and those of others.

In fact, for them the emotions are so disconcerting that when they feel anxious, they often can’t tell whether they’re sad, tired, or just not feeling well. However, they have a great ability to perceive what others think. But as Goleman says, “even if your head knows what to do, your heart doesn’t have a clue.”

Psychopathy, the most dangerous personality of the dark triad

Psychopaths regard other people as objects they can play with and use at will. However, unlike the other dark triad personalities, they almost never experience anxiety and even seem to ignore what it means to be afraid.

Because they are unafraid, they can remain serene even in emotionally intense, dangerous, and terrifying situations.  They don’t care about the consequences of their actions and are the best candidates to become inmates.

The neuronal circuits of these types of people desensitize the segment of the emotional spectrum associated with suffering. So their cruelty looks like insensitivity because they can’t detect it. Besides, remorse and shame don’t exist for them.

However, psychopaths have some facilities to “put themselves in someone else’s shoes” and thus press the appropriate buttons to reach their goal. They are very persuasive. However, this type of person, despite being outstanding in social cognition, is characterized by understanding the relationships and behavior of others only from a logical or intellectual perspective.

As we see, it seems that the dark side practiced by the Sith in Star Wars is not as unrealistic as we thought. The presence of this obscure triad in intimate relationships leads to abuse through psychological violence. They are toxic personalities that establish circles of power, control, hostility and mentally imprison their victims.

The key to not falling into their nets is to work on our emotional independence.  It is necessary to know how to set clear boundaries in our relationships and not allow anyone to exceed them. Without a doubt, protecting ourselves should be our priority in all types of relationships.