The Effect of Gender and Age on the Dark Triad in Helping Professions – the Comparison with General Population

Main Article Content

Radka Čopková

Abstract

Helping professions represent professions in our society, whose main aim is to help others. Less attention was paid to the fact that, like every person, a helping professional has, to some extent, maladaptive personality traits too. The aim of the present study was to explore three aversive personality traits - Machiavellianism, narcissism and psychopathy on a sample of helping professionals. The study was conducted on a sample of 312 participants from different sectors of the helping professions - pedagogical workers, healthcare workers, rescue workers, social workers and general population. The Slovak version of Short Dark Triad - SD3 has been administered (Jones & Paulhus 2014; Čopková & Šafár, 2021). The main result showed that helping professionals scored significantly higher than general population in psychopathy. The testing of between-subject variability while controlling the effect of gender and age indicated that in psychopathy healthcare workers and rescue workers scored significantly higher than general population. We find it helpful to point out that even among helping professionals, who are usually expected to be selfless and prosocial, we can find individuals who are attracted by the other side of pursuing this type of profession - the power they have over the person they provide help to. Based on several limitations we consider this study as a pilot one that might focus the attention on this understudied topic.

Article Details

Section
Articles

References

[1] Adams, Lisa Y., and Colleen A. Maykut. 2015. “Bullying: The antithesis of caring acknowledging the dark side of the nursing profession.” International Journal of Caring Sciences, 8(3): 765-733.
[2] Al Aïn, Syrina, Arnaud Carré, Carole Fantini-Hauwel, Jean-Yves Baudouin, and Chrystel Besche-Richards. 2013. “What is the emotional core of the multidimensional Machiavellian personality trait?.” Frontiers in Psychology, 4: 454.
[3] Babiak, Paul. 1995. “When psychopaths go to work: A case study of an industrial psychopath.” Applied Psychology, 44(2): 171-188. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1464-0597.1995.tb01073.x
[4] Bakir, Bilal, Mustafa Özer, Muharrem Uçar, Mahir Güleç, Cesim Demir, and Metin Hasde. 2003. “Relation between Machiavellianism and job satisfaction in a sample of Turkish physicians.” Psychological reports, 92(3): 1169-1175. https://doi.org/10.2466/pr0.2003.92.3c.1169
[5] Bańka, Augustyn, and Karol Orłowski. 2012. “The structure of the teacher Machiavellianism model in social interactions in a school environment.” Polish Psychological Bulletin, 43(4): 215-222.
[6] Bratek, Agnieszka, Magdalena Bonk, Weronika Bulska2 Kinga Tyrała, Mariusz Seweryn, and Krzysztof Krysta. 2015. “Claw your way"- machiavellianism among the medical community.” Psychiatria Danubina, 27(1): 344-347.
[7] British Association for Counseling and Psychotherapy. 2018. “Ethical Framework for the Counselling Professions.” https://www.bacp.co.uk/events-and-resources/ethics-and-standards/ethicalframework-for-the-counselling-professions/
[8] Bucknall, Vittoria, Suendoss Burwaiss, Deborah Macdonald, Kathy Charles, and Rhys Clement. 2015. “Mirror mirror on the ward, who’s the most narcissistic of them all?.” Pathologic personality traits in health care 187(18): 1359-1363. https://doi.org/10.1503/cmaj.151135
[9] Chibnall, John T., Robert J. Blaskiewicz, and Paul Detrick. 2009. “Are medical students agreeable? An exploration of personality in relation to clinical skills training.” Medical teacher, 31(7): 311-315. https://doi.org/10.1080/01421590802638006
[10] Crysel, Laura C., Benjamin S. Crosier, and Gregory D. Webster. 2013. “The Dark Triad and risk behavior“. Personality and individual differences, 54(1): 35-40. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.paid.2012.07.029
[11] Čopková, Radka, and Leoš Šafár. 2021. “Psychometric Properties of the Slovak Version of Short Dark Triad.” European Journal of Investigation in Health, Psychology and Education, 11(3): 649-666, https://doi.org/10.3390/ejihpe11030047
[12] Dahling, Jason J., Brian G. Whitaker, and Paul E. Levy. 2009. “The development and validation of a new Machiavellianism scale.” Journal of Management, 35(2): 219-257.
[13] DeLeire, Thomas, and Helen Levy. 2004. “Worker Sorting and the Risk of Death on the Job“. Journal of Labor Economics, 22(4): 210–217.
[14] Farquhar, Sarah-Eve. 1998. “Teaching: A women-only profession.” New Zealand Annual Review of Education, 7: 169-180.
[15] Forsyth, Donelson R., and Ernest H. O’Boyle. 2012. “Ethics position theory and unethical work behavior.” In Handbook of Unethical Work Behavior: Implications for Individual Well-Being, ed. Robert A. Giacalone and Mark D. Promislo, 221-36. Armonk, NY: M.E. Sharpe
[16] Géringová, Jitka. 2011. Pomáhající profese: Tvořivé zacházení s odvrácenou stranou. [Assisting professions: Creative treatment of the other side] Praha: Triton.
[17] Grazier, Suzanne, and Peter J. Sloane. 2008. “Accident risk, gender, family status and occupational choice in the UK“. Labour Economics, 15(5): 938-957. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.labeco.2007.07.007
[18] Guggenbühl-Craig, Adolf. 2007. Nebezpečí moci v pomáhajících profesích. [Danger of power in helping professions] Praha: Portál.
[19] Heinonen, Erkki, Olavi Lindfors, Maarit A. Laaksonen, and Paul Knekt. 2012. “Therapists' professional and personal characteristics as predictors of outcome in short-and long-term psychotherapy.” Journal of Affective Disorders, 138(3): 301-312. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jad.2012.01.023
[20] Huffman, Ann H., Satoris S. Culbertson, and Joseph Barbour. 2015. Gender roles in a masculine occupation: Military men and women's differential negotiation of the work-family interface. In M. J. Mills (Ed.), Gender and the work-family experience: An intersection of two domains (pp. 271–289). Springer International Publishing AG. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-08891-4_14
[21] Jonason, Peter K., and Mark D. Davis. 2018. “A gender role view of the Dark Triad traits.” Personality and Individual Differences, 125: 102-105.
[22] Jones, Daniel N., and Delroy L. Paulhus. 2014. “Introducing the short dark triad (SD3) a brief measure of dark personality traits.” Assessment, 21(1): 28-41.
[23] Kaufman, Scott B., David B. Yaden, Elizabeth Hyde, and Eli Tsukayama. 2019. “The Light vs. Dark Triad of Personality: Contrasting Two Very Different Profiles of Human Nature.” Frontiers in psychology, 10, 467. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2019.00467
[24] Kelleher, Fatimah, Francis O. Severin, Mastelane B. Khaahloe, Meera Samson, Anuradha De, Tepora Afamasaga-Wright, and Upali M. Sedere. 2011. Women and the teaching profession: Exploring the feminisation debate, Unesco.
[25] Klimstra, Theo A., Bertus F. Jeronimus, Jelle J. Sijtsema, and Jaap J. A. Denissen. 2020. “The unfolding dark side: Age trends in dark personality features.” Journal of Research in Personality, 85: 1-18. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jrp.2020.103915
[26] Kopřiva, Karel. 1997. Lidský vztah mezi pracovníkem a klientem. Lidský vztah jako součast profese. 2.vyd. Praha: Portál.
[27] Lenkov, Sergey L., Nadezhda E. Rubtsova, and Elena S. Nizamova. 2018. The Dark Triad of Personality in Kindergarten, School and University Teachers, In S. Malykh & E. Nikulchev ICPE 2018-International Conference on Psychology and Education (352-367).
[28] Levická, Jana. 2007. Sociálna práca I. Trnava: Oliva.
[29] Mathieu, Cynthia, Robert D. Hare, Daniel N. Jones, Paul Babiak, and Craig S. Neumann. 2013. “Factor structure of the B-Scan 360: A measure of corporate psychopathy.” Psychological Assessment, 25(1): 288. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0029262
[30] Matoušek, Oldřich. 2003. Slovník sociální práce. Praha: Portál.
[31] Meit, Scott S., Nicole J. Borges, and Larry A. Early. 2007. “Personality profiles of incoming male and female medical students: results of a multi-site 9-year study.” Medical Education Online, 12(1): 4462. https://doi.org/10.3402/meo.v12i.4462
[32] Miller, Susan L., Kay B. Forest, and Nancy C. Jurik. 2003. “Diversity in blue: Lesbian and gay police officers in a masculine occupation.” Men and masculinities, 5(4): 355-385. https://doi.org/10.1177/0095399702250841
[33] Morf, Carolyn C., and Frederick Rhodenwalt. 2001. “Unraveling the paradoxes of narcissism: A dynamic self-regulatory processing model.” Psychological Inquiry, 12(4): 177-196
[34] Musil, Libor. (2004). ,,Ráda bych Vám pomohla, ale...“ Dilemata práce s klienty v organizacích. Brno: Marek Zeman.
[35] Oluf, Gøtzsche-Astrup, and Adrian Furnham. 2015. “The relationship between bright-and dark-side personality traits.” Personality and Individual Differences, 87: 206-211.
[36] Paulhus, Delroy L., and Kevin M. Williams. 2002. “The dark triad of personality: Narcissism, Machiavellianism, and psychopathy.” Journal of Research in Personality, 36(6): 556-563.
[37] Pegrum, J, and Oliver Pearce. 2015. “A stressful job: are surgeons psychopaths?.” The Bulletin of the Royal College of Surgeons of England, 97(8): 331-334. https://doi.org/10.1308/rcsbull.2015.331
[38] Rauthmann, John F., and Gerald P. Kolar. 2012. “How “dark” are the Dark Triad traits? Examining the perceived darkness of narcissism, Machiavellianism, and psychopathy.” Personality and Individual Differences, 53(7): 884-889
[39] Richardson, Paul W., and Helen M. G. Watt. 2006. “Who chooses teaching and why? Profiling characteristics and motivations across three Australian universities“. Asia-Pacific Journal of Teacher Education, 34(1): 27–56.
[40] Ružička, Vojtech. 2010. “Sociálny pracovník v zariadení pre seniorov.” In Aplikovaná etika v sociálne práci a ďalších pomáhajúcich profesiách, eds. Andrej Mátel, Milan Schavel, Pavel Mühlpachr, Tibor Roman, Zborník z medzinárodnej vedeckej konferencie. Bratislava: VŠZaSP sv. Alžbety.
[41] Schavel, Milan, František Čišecký, and Michal Oláh. 2008. Sociálna prevencia. Bratislava: Vysoká škola zdravotníctva a sociálnej práce sv. Alžbety.
[42] Selingson, Anne G. 1992. “The narcissistic therapist meets a narcissistic patient.” Journal of Contemporary Psychotherapy, 22(3): 221-221.
[43] Sinden, Kathryn, Joy Macdermid, Stephanie Buckman, Bonnie Davis, Tracy Matthews, and Carrie Viola. 2013. “A qualitative study on the experiences of female firefighters.” Work, 45(1): 97-105. https://doi.org/10.3233/WOR-121549
[44] Spain, Seth M., Peter D. Harms, and James M. LeBreton. 2014. “The dark side of personality at work.” Journal of Organizational Behavior, 35(S1): 41-S60.
[45] Upmane, Anda, Anda Gaitniece-Putāne, and Agita Šmitiņa. 2016. “Psychology students´ personality traits and motivation to choose studies”, Integration. Education. Proceedings of the International Scientific Conference. May 27th - 28th 2016, pp. 540 -552.
[46] Wampold, Bruce E., and Jon Carlson. 2011. Qualities and actions of effective therapists. Washington: American Psychological Association.
[47] Waterman, Brian T. 2002. “Motivation for choosing social service as a career.” www.bedrugfree.ne
[48] Watt, Helen M. G. 2010. “Gender and Occupational Choice“. In Handbook of Gender Research in Psychology, ed. Joan C. Chrisler and Donald R. McCreary, 379–400. New York, NY: Springer.
[49] Weber, David O. 2004. “Poll results: doctors' disruptive behavior disturbs physician leaders.” Physician executive, 30: 6-15.
[50] Wilbourn, Makeba P., and Daniel W. Kee. 2010. “Henry the nurse is a doctor too: Implicitly examining children’s gender stereotypes for male and female occupational roles.” Sex Roles, 62(9-10): 670-683.
[51] Wilson, David S., David Near, and Ralph R. Miller. 1996. “Machiavellianism: A synthesis of the evolutionary and psychological literatures.” Psychological Bulletin, 119(2): 285.