A recent meta-analysis by Berry, Ones, and Sackett (2007) revealed that perceptions of organizational justice and employee personality were two significant predictors of counterproductive work behaviors. The facets that make up the organizational justice construct are: procedural justice, distributive justice, interpersonal justice, and informational justice (Berry et al., 2007). Employees perceive justice when organizational justice rules are adhered to. However, when these rules are violated, employees may perceive injustice. The effect of perceived injustice on CWB might depend on individual characteristics, such as personality, particularly Dark Tetrad traits. The Dark Tetrad includes narcissism, Machiavellianism, psychopathy, and sadism (Buckels, Jones, & Paulhus, 2013). The intent of this study was to investigate the relationship between the Dark Tetrad traits and counterproductive work behaviors, as well as examine the moderating influence of perceived organizational injustice (distributive, procedural, interpersonal, informational, and overall injustice) on the relationship between the Dark Tetrad personality traits and four types of CWB; CWB directed towards supervisors, coworkers, the organization itself, and total CWB. Participants completed a two-part online study through Amazon Mechanical Turk, the first of which assessed perceptions of organizational (in)justice (Full-range justice scale; Colquitt, Long, Rodell, & Halvorsen-Ganepola, 2015) as well as levels of Dark Tetrad personality traits (Short Dark Triad Scale SD-3; Jones and Paulhus, 2014, and the Short Sadistic Impulse Scale SSIS; O'Meara, Davies, & Hammond, 2011). The first part of the survey also assessed participants’ negative affectivity (Negative Affectivity subscale of the Positive and Negative Affect Schedule; Watson, Clark, & Tellegen, 1988), and justice sensitivity (Victim Perspective subscale of the Justice Sensitivity Scale; Schmitt, Gollwitzer, & Arbach, 2005). The second survey was distributed 5 days after the first survey and assessed participants’ frequency of engagement in each type of CWB (Workplace Deviance Scale (WDS); Bennett & Robinson, 2000; modified using items from the Supervisor-Directed Deviance Scale; Mitchell & Ambrose, 2007). It was hypothesized that each DT trait would have a significant positive relationship with each type of CWB. This hypothesis was shown to be supported. It was also hypothesized that low levels of perceived organizational justice would moderate the relationships between the DT traits and CWB. This hypothesis was partially supported. Linear regression analyses were conducted, and the results showed that none of the justice facets significantly moderated the relationship of Machiavellianism with any of type of CWB. However, several justice facets showed significant moderating effects between the other three DT traits (narcissism, psychopathy, and sadism) and types of CWB. These results suggest that when individuals perceive a higher level of perceived organizational justice, those with dark tetrad personality traits are more likely to report engaging in fewer counterproductive work behaviors, relative to those who perceive lower levels of perceived organizational justice. The implications are that by improving perceptions of organizational justice, organizations could potentially reduce counterproductive work behavior in employees with strong dark tetrad personality traits.

From an evolutionary perspective, “dark” personality traits are argued to comprise a coordinated system of co-adapted traits that facilitate exploitive, manipulative, and aggressive strategies to vie for valued social and reproductive resources. Three quantitative studies were conducted to examine the cross-sectional and longitudinal associations between dark personality characteristics with bullying (Study 1), delinquency and dating (Study 2), and status-striving (Study 3) in adolescents aged 15–18 (Studies 1–2) and adults aged 18–61 (Study 3). In Study 1, using random-intercept cross-lagged panel modeling in a sample of N = 514 adolescents from ages 15–18 (Grades 10–12), Machiavellianism and psychopathy (but not narcissism) shared significant between-person associations with bullying. Within-person cross-lagged relations supported both disposition- (e.g., Machiavellianism at Grade 10  bullying at Grade 11) and perpetration-driven pathways (e.g., bullying at Grade 11  narcissism at Grade 12). In Study 2, cross-lagged panel modeling with the same sample as Study 1 revealed that secondary (i.e., impulsivity), but not primary (i.e., callous-unemotionality), psychopathy as well as delinquency were positively correlated with being in a current dating relationship at Grade 10. An indirect effect was found, whereby secondary psychopathy at Grade 10 positively predicted delinquency at Grade 11, which then predicted being a dating relationship one year later. In Study 3, path analysis with a sample of N = 516 adults aged 18–61 demonstrated that narcissism, Machiavellianism, and psychopathy positively predicted dominance status-striving, whereas only narcissism positively predicted prestige. Indirect aggression mediated the positive associations between psychopathy and sadism with dominance status-striving. Findings from the current dissertation indicate that dark personality traits are dynamically related to bullying and delinquency in youth, as well as aggression in adults, which is of relevance to educators, clinicians, and researchers looking to curb problematic behaviour that can carry significant personal and interpersonal harm.

Moral identity, moral personality, and moral emotion have all been suggested to influence moral behavior individually, however, the results have been mixed and contradictory. Furthermore, they have never been tested together to determine their relative contribution in predicting moral decision-making. An anonymous online survey was administered to undergraduate students (N = 432). Moral Reasoning was assessed by a series of six hypothetical moral dilemmas. Participants were asked which of two choices they would prefer, one being a more deontological choice, in other words, follow a principle such as “tell the truth”, and the other being a more utilitarian choice, such as “lie to spare a person’s feelings”. In addition, participants were asked how confident they felt that they made the right choice in each dilemma. Other measures in the survey battery included Moral Identity which has two subscales, one for Moral Importance, or the degree to which they feel being a moral person is important, and one for Moral Expression, or the degree to which they try to behave consistently with their moral values; a survey of Moral Emotion with subscales for Shame and Guilt; and a measure of Moral Personality variables otherwise known as the dark tetrad: Narcissism, Machiavellianism, Sadism, and Psychopathy. Age and moral expression were the only significant predictors of utilitarian choices on hypothetical moral dilemmas. Although guilt was also correlated with utilitarianism, it failed to be a significant factor when all variables were combined into one regression equation. The degree of confidence participants expressed in their decisions on the hypothetical moral dilemmas was correlated with shame and moral importance, however, none of the morality variables was a significant predictor of confidence ratings when entered together into a regression equation. Possible reasons for the lack of significant results are explored and suggestions for future studies are suggested.

Thesis (Ph. D. (Psychology)) -- University of Limpopo, 2019 / The present study investigated the gender moderated relationship between the dark tetrad personality types and sexual behaviours among African university students. Two studies were conducted using conveniently selected samples from two universities in Limpopo, South Africa. Both studies were quantitative in nature using a cross-sectional research design. An integrative theoretical approach was utilized in the conceptualization of the studies, and data was analyzed using structural equation modeling (SEM). The first study (N = 261) determined the relationship between the dark tetrad personality types and sexual behaviours conceptualized as infidelity, sexual aggression, and sociosexuality. It was only sadism that had the capacity to predict infidelity and SOI-R desire. Regarding moderation, the results showed that gender only moderates the associations between Machiavellianism and SOI-R behaviour, psychopathy and SOI-R attitude, and sadism and infidelity. The second study (N = 275) examined if the relationship between the Dark Tetrad personality types and socio-sexuality would be mediated by adversarial sexual beliefs (ASB) and ambivalent sexism (benevolent [BS] and hostile sexism [HS]). Results showed that the relationship between sadism and SOI-R behaviour and desire, Machiavellianism and SOI-R behaviour and desire were fully mediated by BS, and the association between sadism and all the SOI-R components, Machiavellianism and all the SOI-R components, and psychopathy and all the SOI-R components were fully mediated ASB. Additionally, gender only moderated the ASB mediated associations between sadism and SOI-R behaviour, and sadism and SOI-R attitude. Ultimately, the study advances recommendations for future studies. / NRF ( National Research Foundation)