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Individuals with dark traits have the ability but not the disposition to empathize

Kajonius, Petri LU and Björkman, Therese (2020) In Personality and Individual Differences 155.
Abstract
Empathy is fundamental to social cognition and societal values. Empathy is theorized as having both the ability as well as the disposition to imagine the content of other people's minds. We tested whether the notorious low empathy in dark personalities (Machiavellianism, psychopathy, and narcissism; the Dark Triad) is best characterized by a lack of capacity (ability) or lack of disposition (trait). Data was collected for 278 international participants through an anonymous online survey shared on the online platform LinkedIn, consisting of trait-based Dark Triad personality (SD3) and empathy (IRI), and cognitive ability (ICAR16) and ability-based empathy (MET). Dark personality traits had no relationship with ability-based empathy, but... (More)
Empathy is fundamental to social cognition and societal values. Empathy is theorized as having both the ability as well as the disposition to imagine the content of other people's minds. We tested whether the notorious low empathy in dark personalities (Machiavellianism, psychopathy, and narcissism; the Dark Triad) is best characterized by a lack of capacity (ability) or lack of disposition (trait). Data was collected for 278 international participants through an anonymous online survey shared on the online platform LinkedIn, consisting of trait-based Dark Triad personality (SD3) and empathy (IRI), and cognitive ability (ICAR16) and ability-based empathy (MET). Dark personality traits had no relationship with ability-based empathy, but strongly so with trait-based empathy (β = -0.47). Instead, cognitive ability explained ability-based empathy (β = 0.31). The finding is that dark personalities in a community sample is normally cognizant to empathize but has a low disposition to do so. This finding may help shed further light on how personality is interlinked with ability. (Less)
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author
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type
Contribution to journal
publication status
published
subject
in
Personality and Individual Differences
volume
155
publisher
Elsevier
external identifiers
  • scopus:85075873147
ISSN
1873-3549
DOI
10.1016/j.paid.2019.109716
language
English
LU publication?
no
id
7d5d66ed-c905-4543-ac3f-f7e748c7ba20
date added to LUP
2022-03-07 15:05:24
date last changed
2023-02-06 11:18:27
@article{7d5d66ed-c905-4543-ac3f-f7e748c7ba20,
  abstract     = {{Empathy is fundamental to social cognition and societal values. Empathy is theorized as having both the ability as well as the disposition to imagine the content of other people's minds. We tested whether the notorious low empathy in dark personalities (Machiavellianism, psychopathy, and narcissism; the Dark Triad) is best characterized by a lack of capacity (ability) or lack of disposition (trait). Data was collected for 278 international participants through an anonymous online survey shared on the online platform LinkedIn, consisting of trait-based Dark Triad personality (SD3) and empathy (IRI), and cognitive ability (ICAR16) and ability-based empathy (MET). Dark personality traits had no relationship with ability-based empathy, but strongly so with trait-based empathy (β = -0.47). Instead, cognitive ability explained ability-based empathy (β = 0.31). The finding is that dark personalities in a community sample is normally cognizant to empathize but has a low disposition to do so. This finding may help shed further light on how personality is interlinked with ability.}},
  author       = {{Kajonius, Petri and Björkman, Therese}},
  issn         = {{1873-3549}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  publisher    = {{Elsevier}},
  series       = {{Personality and Individual Differences}},
  title        = {{Individuals with dark traits have the ability but not the disposition to empathize}},
  url          = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.paid.2019.109716}},
  doi          = {{10.1016/j.paid.2019.109716}},
  volume       = {{155}},
  year         = {{2020}},
}