The "big three" negative personality traits in psychology are known as the Dark Triad: narcissism, Machiavellianism, and psychopathy.
The Dark Triad refers to three personality-based syndromes or behaviors: (1) narcissism, (2) Machiavellianism, and (3) psychopathy. The syndromes in this triad are considered subclinical, meaning not a clinical disorder but lying right on the edge of legality.
The number one trait of a narcissist is often considered a grandiose sense of self-importance (grandiosity) combined with a profound lack of empathy, where they see others as tools for their own gain and have an inflated, often unrealistic, view of their own superiority, needing constant admiration without acknowledging others' feelings or needs, as highlighted by HelpGuide.org and The Hart Centre. This core creates other behaviors like entitlement, manipulation, and arrogance, making them believe they deserve special treatment.
THE CORE FEATURES OF PSYCHOPATHY ARE:
Summary. Within the personality field, Eysenck's influential Big Three model defines three core personality traits: extraversion, neuroticism, and psychoticism.
The top 3 rarest personality types are consistently identified as INFJ (The Advocate), ENTJ (The Commander), and INTJ (The Architect), with INFJ usually being the absolute rarest (around 1.5%), followed by ENTJ (around 1.8%), and INTJ (around 2-3%) of the general population, according to Psych Central, Redeemed Mental Health, and Reddit.
The five broad personality traits described by the theory are extraversion (also often spelled extroversion), agreeableness, openness, conscientiousness, and neuroticism.
Common signs of a sociopath
The severity of psychopathy is also linked to the moment of exposure to relational trauma with more serious traits in case of early exposure during childhood. Traumatic exposure to domestic violence or violence in the community is linked to higher degrees of psychopathy.
These three traits are (1) Machiavellianism, centered on manipulativeness and indifference to morality; (2) narcissism, characterized by a grandiose sense of self-importance and excessive self-love; and (3) psychopathy, characterized by a lack of empathy and antisocial behavior.
An overt, grandiose narcissist speaks quickly and constantly. Having been softened by the narcissist's bright energy and intense focus on you, you feel obliged to listen. Before you know it, you find yourself dragged along on a meandering conversation, unsure exactly how you ended up on this endless river of words.
A narcissist's apology is usually fake, manipulative, and lacks genuine remorse, focusing on shifting blame, avoiding responsibility, and regaining control rather than acknowledging wrongdoing, often using phrases like "I'm sorry if you were offended" or "I'm sorry but you started it," leaving the recipient feeling worse and unheard. They lack empathy and accountability, using these "fauxpologies" to disarm criticism, preserve their ego, and quickly move past conflict to get what they want.
Malignant narcissism is considered by many to be the most severe type. 2 That's why it helps to recognize when you have someone with this condition in your life and what to expect from interactions with them. This knowledge can also provide insight into how to deal with them in the healthiest way possible.
Psychopathy. Psychopathy is considered the most malevolent of the dark triad. Individuals who score high on psychopathy show low levels of empathy and high levels of impulsivity and thrill-seeking.
Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD) and covert narcissism are two mental health conditions that can seem very similar. People with either disorder may have big emotions, act in confusing ways, or struggle in relationships. But what causes those behaviors and what they feel inside is very different.
Relationships that survive will rely on the partner having good self-esteem, strong boundaries, resources that are valued by the narcissist, patience, an even-tempered personality, and a reason to stay.
Signs of childhood trauma
20 Signs of a Psychopath
The most-important causes of sociopathy, in contrast, lie in physical or emotional abuse or severe trauma experienced during childhood. To put the matter simplistically, psychopaths are born, and sociopaths are made.
Symptoms
Narcissistic traits often peak in late adolescence and early adulthood (around ages 14-23), particularly with grandiosity and entitlement, as individuals seek identity and status, but then tend to decline as people mature and face life's realities, though some individuals with NPD may see intensification in these years before a potential mellowing in middle age.
Five key signs of a narcissist include a grandiose sense of self-importance, an excessive need for admiration, a strong sense of entitlement, lack of empathy for others' feelings, and a tendency to exploit or manipulate people for personal gain, all stemming from a fragile ego and deep insecurity. They often boast, feel unique, get easily slighted by criticism, and disregard others' needs.
Encouragingly, multiple studies found that the most important factor in success is conscientiousness (MacRae & Furnham, 2020, Teodorescu et al., 2017), followed by low neuroticism and openness.
The MBTI® assessment provides insight by exploring which four letters most accurately describe your personality: I (Introversion) or E (Extroversion); S (Sensing) or N (iNtuition); T (Thinking) or F (Feeling); and J (Judging) or P (Perceiving). These four letters combine to one of 16 possible MBTI® types.
The opposite of neuroticism is emotional stability. Openness to experience involves having a daring and imaginative approach to life and being interested in many topics and activities. People who are open to experience generally think in original ways and enjoy trying new things instead of following routines.