D. Miscellaneous Malevolence Measures
1.Short Sadistic Impulse Scale (SSIS) ( O’Meara, Davies, & Hammond, 2011 )
2.Varieties of Sadistic Tendencies (VAST) (Paulhus et al., 2010)
3.Sensational Interests Questionnaire ( Egan et al., 2005 )
4.Amoralism Scale ( Kneˇzevi´c, 2003; Kne ˇzevi´c, Radovic, & Perunicic, 2008 )
DARK TRIAD MEASURES
In this section, we review measures devoted to the Dark Triad constellation. To set the stage, we first summa-
rize work on the three standard measures. Because they have been reviewed in detail elsewhere, we only provide
a synopsis and update the research. We then move on to detailed reviews of the newer multi-scale instruments
that simultaneously measure all three variables.
A. Standard Measures of the Dark Triad
Early work on the Dark Triad used well-established measures of each variable. For narcissism, the measure of
choice has been the Narcissistic Personality Inventory ( Raskin & Hall, 1979 ); for Machiavellianism, it is the Mach
IV (Christie & Geis, 1970 ); for psychopathy, it is the Self Report Psychopathy (SRP) scale ( Paulhus et al., 2014;
Williams, Paulhus, & Hare, 2007 ).
Because the first wave of Machiavellianism (‘Mach’) measures were reviewed in an earlier volume of this
handbook ( Robinson, Shaver, & Wrightsman, 1991 ), we provide a brief summary and report on important
updates. Similarly, independent reviews of NPI ( Campbell & Miller, 2011 ) and the SRP ( Hicklin & Widiger, 2005;
Lebreton et al., 2006 ) have appeared elsewhere. These standard measures were key predecessors of the newer
measures reviewed here and, in some cases, their status has changed substantially since the earlier (1991)
handbook.
1. Mach IV
Empirical assessment of the Machiavellian personality began with Christie and Geis (1970) . They developed
no fewer than five instruments, namely, Mach I through Mach V. Literature using these instruments was
reviewed by Fehr et al. (1992) and, more recently, by Jones and Paulhus (2009) . Of the five versions, the 20-item
Mach IV is by far the most widely used and those two reviews generally supported its use. Items are presented
in 7-point Likert-type format with response options ranging from (1) totally disagree to (7) totally agree. Sample
items include ‘Anyone who completely trusts anyone else is asking for trouble’ and ‘It is wise to flatter important
people’.
A full review of the Mach IV appeared in the earlier edition of this handbook and was written by Christie him-
self. That 1991 chapter included all the Mach IV items (pp. 376 /C0385). They are also available in the original book
byChristie and Geis (1970) . Less popular was the Mach V, which was hampered by the complexity of its scoring
system. Despite its popularity, even the Mach IV has been subject to criticism (e.g., Dahling et al., 2009; Hunter,
Gerbing, & Boster, 1982 ). Rather than its predictive validity, however, the debates have focused on the factor
structure.
2. NPI
Publication of the Narcissistic Personality Inventory (NPI) ( Raskin & Hall, 1979 ) triggered a landslide of
research that continues to this day. Instead of a categorical personality disorder, the concept was transformed
into a normal personality variable amenable to research in both laboratory and survey research. An extensive
empirical literature on the NPI has confirmed a behavioral pattern that is remarkably parallel to that found in the
clinical literature ( Morf & Rhodewalt, 2001 ). One exception is the lack of a vulnerable component in the NPI (see
Miller et al., 2010; Pincus et al., 2009 ).
Items are presented in forced-choice format: One option is narcissistic whereas the other option represents a
more modest choice. The full item set of the NPI is available in the original article ( Raskin & Hall, 1979 ). Several
followup papers reported support for its reliability and validity ( Raskin & Hall, 1981; Raskin & Terry, 1988 ).
Sample narcissistic options include the following: ‘I like to be the center of attention’, ‘The world would be a bet-
ter place if I were the leader’; ‘I think I am a special person’; ‘I like to show off my body’.565 DARK TRIAD MEASURES
V. VICES AND VIRTUES