Gender differences in psychopathy and Machiavellianism traits

Purpose/Background: Psychopathy and Machiavellianism are the two constructs that make up the Dark Triad alongside the construct of narcissism. The Dark Triad describes three personality traits significantly associated with difficulties in interpersonal relationships. While some argue that psychopathy and Machiavellianism are extremely similar (Miller et al., 2016), a number of researchers argue they are different enough to be separate constructs. Recent studies have found gender differences within psychopathy or Machiavellianism individually. Specifically, men expressed higher levels of both psychopathy traits (Miller et al., 2010) and Machiavellianism traits (Collison et al., 2020). However, no study has examined gender differences in both Machiavellianism and psychopathy. The goal of this study is to provide further evidence of gender differences shown in the expression of Machiavellianism and psychopathy traits within one sample.Methods: Participants (N = 191) for the current study were undergraduate college students from Oklahoma State University who worked over 20 hours a week, as this data comes from a larger study that assessed workplace behaviors. Participants were given research credits for participation. Participants completed a variety of self-report measures to assess psychopathy, Machiavellianism, and narcissism. These measures included demographic information (e.g. sex), The Dirty Dozen (DD; Jonason & Webster, 2010), Elemental Psychopathy Assessment (EPA; Lynam et al., 2011), and Mach-IV Scale (Christie & Geis, 1970). The sample was 71.8% female and 74.8% Caucasian. Gender differences will be measured for Machiavellianism, psychopathy, and narcissism. A series of T-tests will be used to determine whether there are significant gender differences in psychopathy and Machiavellianism traits.Results: It is hypothesized that males will express significantly higher levels of psychopathy traits and Machiavellianism traits.Implications: This study will provide further evidence whether there are significant gender differences in psychopathy and Machiavellianism. Knowing the prevalence of these traits in males and females will aid in diagnoses, treatments, interventions, and further research.Oklahoma State University. Freshman Research Scholars ProgramPsycholog

NSSI and Personality

This project broadly examines non-suicidal self-injury, personality, and other factors related to psychopathology

Borderline personality disorder traits and suicide risk: The mediating role of insomnia and nightmares

BACKGROUND: Borderline personality disorder (BPD) is associated with high rates of suicide risk and problems related to sleep, including insomnia and nightmares. The purpose of the current study was to assess the potential indirect effect of BPD traits on suicide risk through both/either insomnia and nightmares. METHODS: Participants (N = 281) were recruited via Amazon\u27s Mechanical Turk to complete the study remotely online. Participants completed measures of BPD traits and symptoms, suicide risk (history of suicidal thoughts and behaviors), insomnia symptoms, and distress and impairment related to nightmares. RESULTS: BPD traits and symptoms were moderately to highly correlated to suicide risk, insomnia, and nightmares. In parallel mediation models, BPD traits had a significant indirect effect on suicide risk through insomnia symptoms but not nightmares. LIMITATIONS: The current study assessed problems within the general population and not in a clinical sample. Second, the study relied solely on self-report measures. Futures studies would benefit from investigating these relations in clinical samples utilizing observer-report and interview methods. CONCLUSIONS: BPD traits appear to relate to increased risk for suicide through the relation with sleep concerns, particularly insomnia symptoms. Therefore, assessing and treating sleep problems within individuals with BPD may result in a lower risk for suicide