The Dark Triad and animal cruelty: Dark personalities, dark attitudes, and dark behaviors

Phillip Kavanagh, Tania Signal, Nicola Taylor

    Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

    92 Citations (Scopus)

    Abstract

    Research examining the interpersonal interactions of those high on the Dark Triad has proliferated in recent years. Extant research, however, has not examined other types of relationships such as attitudes and behaviors towards animals. Further, there has been limited research examining the associations between personality and attitudes and behaviors towards animals generally. In this study, participants (N= 227) completed an online survey measuring the Dark Triad, attitudes towards animals, and acts of animal cruelty. The results revealed that individuals with higher levels of the Dark Triad demonstrated less positive attitudes towards animals and reported engaging in more acts of animal cruelty. Age and sex were found to be significant predictors of less positive attitudes and behaviors towards animals, independent of the Dark Triad. These results suggest that those callous and manipulative behaviors and attitudes that have come to be associated with the Dark Triad are not just limited to human-to-human interactions, but are also consistent across other interactions.

    Original languageEnglish
    Pages (from-to)666-670
    Number of pages5
    JournalPersonality and Individual Differences
    Volume55
    Issue number6
    DOIs
    Publication statusPublished - Oct 2013

    Keywords

    • Animal cruelty
    • Attitudes
    • Behavior
    • Dark Triad
    • Personality

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