The Dark Triad as a Premise of Moral Disengagement: A Field Study

Öz

Moral disengagement can be described as a socio-cognitive process in which people can harm others without any feeling of guilt while the dark triad is considered as a group of particular behaviors such as lying, deceiving, bullying and contempting. Members of a society who behave in the dark-triadic sense violate moral values and social norms of their society and thereby jeopardize the social architecture. The main aim of this study to show that the dark personality traits can be considered as a premise of moral disengagement within the scope of social cognitive theory. In addition, this study also investigates the effects of these traits on moral disengagement. In this context, by using easy sampling method, 226 people, all of whom working in government offices in Ardahan,Turkey, were interviewed through specific kinds of scales and personal data forms. The scale apllied for measuring the dark triad has three dimensions: Machiavellianism, Narcissism and Psychopathy. Moreover, the scales applied for measuring moral disengagement has only one dimension. Our research model was tested by using a structural equation modeling analysis. We found that the fit indices of our model are significant. Our results suggest that the dark triad has a positive and significant effect on moral disengagement. Furthermore, machiavellian behavior has a negative and insignificant effect on moral disengagement, while both psychopathic and narcissistic behaviors have a positive and significant effect on moral disengagement.  

Anahtar Kelimeler

• Moral Disengagement
• Dark Triad
• Narcissism
• Machiavellianism
• Psychopathy.

Ahlaki Çözülmenin Bir Öncülü Olarak Karanlık Üçlü: Bir Alan Araştırması

Öz

Ahlaki çözülme, insanların suçluluk duymadan başkalarına zarar verebildikleri sosyo-bilişsel süreç olarak değerlendirilirken, karanlık üçlü ortak özellikleri saldırgan eğilimler, sınırlı empatik yetenekler, baskınlık ve düşmanlığın bir karışımını yansıtan kişilerarası ilişkiler, aldatma, yalan söyleme gibi eğilimiler olarak değerlendirilir. Bu araştırmanın amacı karanlık kişilik özelliklerinin ahlaki çözülmenin bir öncülü olarak ortaya konulabilmesi ve karanlık kişilik özelliklerinin ahlaki çözülme üzerindeki etkisini sosyal bilişsel teori kapsamında araştırmaktır. Bu amaç çerçevesinde Ardahan Valiliği’ne bağlı kamu kurumlarında çalışan 226 kişiye kolayda örnekleme yöntemi kullanılarak ölçekler ve kişisel bilgi formu uygulanmıştır. Çalışmada karanlık üçlüyü ölçmek için makyavelizm, narsisizm ve psikopati boyutlarını içeren ölçek ve ahlaki çözülmeyi içeren tek boyutlu ölçek uygulanmıştır. Ölçekler için uygulanan istatistiki analizler sonucunda ortaya konan araştırma modeli sınanmıştır. Yapısal eşitlik modellemesi analizine göre sınanan modelin uyum indekslerinin kabul edilebilir olduğu bulgulanmıştır. Araştırma sonuçlarında karanlık üçlünün ahlaki çözülmeyi anlamlı ve pozitif yönde etkilediği görülmüştür. Karanlık üçlünün alt boyutları olan makyavelist davranışın ahlaki çözülmeyi negatif etkilediği fakat anlamlı olmadığı, psikopati ile narsisist davranışın ahlaki çözülmeyi anlamlı ve pozitif etkilediği görülmüştür.

Anahtar Kelimeler

• Ahlaki Çözülme
• Karanlık Üçlü
• Narsizm
• Psikopati
• Makyevelizm.

Kaynakça

1. Bailey, C. D. (2019). The Joint Effects Of Narcissism And Psychopathy On Accounting Students’ Attitudes Towards Unethical Professional Practices. Journal of Accounting Education Volume 49, 1-24. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jaccedu.2019.08.001
2. Bandura, A. (1989). Social cognitive theory. In R. Vasta (Ed.), Annals of child development. Vol. 6. Six theories of child development içinde (ss. 1-60). Greenwich, CT: JAI Press
3. Bandura, A. (1990). Mechanisms Of Moral Disengagement In Terrorism. Origins Of Terrorism: Psychologies, ideologies, states of mind, 161-191.
4. Bandura, A. (1999). Moral Disengagement In The Perpetration Of Inhumanities. Personality And Social Psychology Review, 3(3), 193-209.
5. Bandura, A. (2011). Moral Disengagement. D.J. Christie (Ed.). The Encyclopedia of Peace Psychology içinde. https://doi.org/10.1002/9780470672532.wbepp165
6. Bandura, A., Caprara, G. V., Barbaranelli, C., Pastorelli, C. ve Regalia, C. (2001). Sociocognitive Self-Regulatory Mechanisms Governing Transgressive Behavior. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 80, 125– 135.
7. Bandura, A., Barbaranelli, C., Caprara, G. V. ve Pastorelli, C. (1996). Mechanisms of moral disengagement in the exercise of moral agency. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 71(2), 364-374.
8. Barsky, A. (2008). Understanding the Ethical Cost of Organizational Goal-setting: A Review and Theory Development. Journal of Business Ethics, 81 (1): 63-81.

9. Clemente, M., Espinosa, P. ve Padilla, D. (2019). Moral Disengagement And Willingness To Behave Unethically Against Ex-Partner In A Child Custody Dispute. PLoS ONE 14(3): e0213662. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0213662
10. Coşkun, A. (2017). Ahlaki Kimlik ve Makyavelizmin Örgüt Yararina Ahlaki Olmayan Davranış Üzerinde Etkisi: Ahlaki İklimin Düzenleyici Rolü. (Doktora tezi). İstanbul Ticaret Üniversitesi Sosyal Bilimler Enstitüsü, İstanbul.
11. Dahling, J.J., Kuyumcu, D. ve Librizzi, E. H. (2014). Machiavellianism, Unethical Behavior, and Well-Being in Organizational Life. R.A. Giacalone ve M. D. Promislo (Ed.). Handbook of Unethical Work Behavior: Implications for Individual Well-Being içinde (ss. 183-194). New York: Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781315703848
12. DeLisi M., Peters D. J., Dansby, T., Vaughn M. G., Shook J. J. ve Hochstetler A. (2014) Dynamics of Psychopathy and Moral Disengagement in the Etiology of Crime. Youth Violence and Juvenile Justice, 12(4), 295-314.
13. Detert, J. R., Treviño, L. K. ve Sweitzer, V. L. (2008). Moral disengagement in ethical decision making: a study of antecedents and outcomes. Journal of Applied Psychology, 93(2), 374.
14. Egan V., Hughes N. And Palmer E. J.(2014) Moral Disengagement, The Dark Triad, And Unethical Consumer Attitudes. Personality and Individual Differences, (76) 123-128.
15. Erbaş, E. ve N. Ş. Perçin (2017). Ahlaki Çözülme (Moral Disengagement) Ölçeği Türkçe Geçerlemesi ve Kişi-Çevre Uyumu İlişkisi. Bolu Abant İzzet Baysal Üniversitesi Sosyal Bilimler Enstitüsü Dergisi, 17(1): 177-190.
16. Erbaş, E. ve N. Şahin Perçin. (2016). Kişi-Çevre Uyumu Ve Takim Çalışması İşlevsizliği İlişkisinde Ahlâki Çözülme’nin Araci Rolü. Yönetim ve Ekonomi Araştırmaları Dergisi, 14(2). 77-91.
17. Erzi, S. (2020). Dark Triad And Schadenfreude: Mediating Role Of Moral Disengagement And Relational Aggression. Personality and Individual Differences, (157), 109827.
18. Ferreiros, L. ve Clemente, M. (2022) Dark personality and intimate partner relationships in young adults, Acta Psychologica, 225, 103549.
19. Fida, R, Paciello M., Tramontano, C., Fontaine, RG Barbaranelli, C. ve Farnese, ML. (2015). An Integrative Approach to Understanding Counterproductive Work Behavior: The Roles of Stressors, Negative Emotions, and Moral Disengagement. Journal of Business Ethics, 130(1): 131-144.
20. Fornell, C. ve Larcker, D.F. (1981). Evaluating Structural Equation Models With Unobservable Variables And Measurement Error. Journal of Marketing Research, 18(1), 39-50.
21. Hoareau, N., Bagès, C., Allaire, M. ve Guerrien, A. (2019). The Role Of Psychopathic Traits And Moral Disengagement In Cyberbullying Among Adolescents, Criminal Behaviour and Mental Health, 29, 321- 331. https://doi.org/10.1002/cbm.2135
22. Hyde, L.W., Shaw, D.S. ve Moilanen, K.L. (2010). Developmental Precursors Of Moral Disengagement And The Role Of Moral Disengagement In The Development Of Antisocial Behavior. Journal of abnormal child psychology, 38(2), 197-209.
23. Jonason, P.K. ve Middleton, J.P. (2015). Dark Triad: The "Dark Side" of HumanPersonality. James D. Wright (Ed.), International Encyclopedia of theSocial & Behavioral Sciences Volume 5 içinde, (ss. 671-675). Oxford: Elsevier.
24. Jones, D. N. ve Paulhus, D. L. (2014). Introducing the short dark triad (SD3): A brief measure of dark personality traits. Assessment, 21(1), 28-41.
25. Jones, D. N. ve Paulhus, D. L. (2009). Machiavellianism. M. R. Leary ve R. H. Hoyle (Ed.), Handbook of individual differences in social behavior içinde (ss. 93– 108). New York, NY: Guilford.
26. Kish-Gephart, J., Detert, J., Treviño, L. K., Baker, V. ve Martin, S. (2014). Situational Moral Disengagement: Can The Effects Of Self-İnterest Be Mitigated?. Journal of Business Ethics, 125(2), 267-285.
27. LeBreton, J. M., Shiverdecker, L. K. ve Grimaldi, E. M. (2018). The Dark Triad And Workplace Behavior. Annual Review of Organizational Psychology and Organizational Behavior, 5, 387-414. https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev-orgpsych-032117-10445
28. Lowe-Calverley, E. ve Grieve, R. (2017). Web Of Deceit: Relationships Between The Dark Triad, Perceived Ability To Deceive And Cyberloafing. Cyberpsychology: Journal of Psychosocial Research on Cyberspace, 11(2), Article 5. https://doi.org/10.5817/CP2017-2-5
29. Maftei, A., Holman, A.C. ve Elenescu, A.G. (2022). The Dark Web of Machiavellianism and Psychopathy: Moral Disengagement in IT Organizations. Europe's Journal of Psychology, 18(2), 181-192.
30. McAlister, A.L. (2001). Moral disengagement: Measurement And Modification. Journal of Peace Research, 38(1), 87-99.
31. Moore, C. (2015). Moral Disengagement. Current Opinion in Psychology, 6, 199-204.
32. Moore, C., Detert, J.R., Trevino, L.K., Baker, V. L. ve Mayer, D.M. (2011). Why Employees Do Bad Things: Moral Disengagement and Unethical Organizational Behavior. Personnel Psychology, 65, 1-48.
33. Moshagen,M., Hilbig, B. E. ve Zettler, I. (2018) The Dark Core of Personality. Psychological Review, 125(5), 656-688. http://dx.doi.org/10.1037/rev0000111
34. Muris P., Merckelbach H., Otgaar H., ve Meijer, E. (2017). The Malevolent Side of Human Nature: A Meta-Analysis and Critical Review of the Literature on the Dark Triad (Narcissism, Machiavellianism, and Psychopathy). Perspectives on Psychological Science, 12(2), 183–204.
35. Nguyen N., Pascart S. ve Borteyrou X. (2021). The Dark Triad Personality Traits And Work Behaviors: A Person-Centered Approach. Personality and Individual Differences, 170, 1-6.
36. Özsoy E, Rauthmann J. F., Jonason P. K. ve Ardıç, K. (2017) Reliability And Validity Of The Turkish Versions Of Dark Triad Dirty Dozen (DTDD-T), Short Dark Triad (SD3-T), And Single Item Narcissism Scale (SINS-T). Personality and Individual Differences, 117, 11-14.
37. Özsoy, E. ve Ardıç, K. (2017) Karanlık Üçlü’nün (Narsisizm, Makyavelizm ve Psikopati) İş Tatminine Etkisinin İncelenmesi. Yönetim ve Ekonomi, 24(2) 391-406.
38. Paulhus, D. L. ve Williams, K. M. (2002) The Dark Triad of Personality: Narcissism, Machiavellianism, and Psychopathy. Journal of Research in Personality, 36, 556–563.
39. Pechorro, P., Curtis, S., DeLisi, M., Maroco, J. ve Nunes, C. (2022), Dark Triad Psychopathy Outperforms Self-Control in Predicting Antisocial Outcomes: A Structural Equation Modeling Approach. European Journal of Investigation in Health, Psychology and Education, 12, 549-562.
40. Pelton, J., Gound, M., Forehand, R. ve Brody, G. (2004). The moral disengagement scale: Extension with an American minority sample. Journal of Psychopathology and Behavioral Assessment, 26(1), 31-39.
41. Perren, S. ve Gutzwiller-Helfenfinger, E. (2012). Cyberbullying And Traditional Bullying In Adolescence: Differential Roles Of Moral Disengagement, Moral Emotions, And Moral Values. European Journal of Developmental Psychology, 9(2), 195-209.
42. Saltoğlu, S. ve Irak, D.U. (2020). Dark Triad Personality: Narcissism, Machiavellianism, and Psychopathy. Turkish Psychological Articles, 23(45), 59-62.
43. Shu, L. L., Gino, F. ve Bazerman, M. H. (2011). Dishonest Deed, Clear Conscience: When Cheating Leads to Moral Disengagement and Motivated Forgetting. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin 37(3), 330-349.
44. Sijtsema, J.J., Garofalo, C., Jansen, K.ve Klimstra T. A. (2019). Disengaging from Evil: Longitudinal Associations Between the Dark Triad, Moral Disengagement, and Antisocial Behavior in Adolescence. Journal of Abnormal Child Psychology, 47, 1351-1365. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10802-019-00519-4
45. Somma, A., Borroni, S., Sellbom, M., Markon, K. E., Krueger, R. F. ve Fossati, A. (2020). Assessing Dark Triad Dimensions From The Perspective Of Moral Disengagement And Dsm–5 Alternative Model Of Personality Disorder Traits. Personality disorders: Theory, Research, and Treatment, 11(2), 100–107. https://doi.org/10.1037/per0000388
46. Taylor J. V., Frederick L. C., Daniel, L.S. ve Jennifer J. M. (2017). Exploring the Dark Side: Relationships between the Dark Triad Traits and Cluster B Personality Disorder Features, Journal of Psychiatry Psychiatric Disord, 1(6), 317-326.
47. Thornberg, R. ve Jungert, T. (2013). Bystander Behavior In Bullying Situations: Basic Moral Sensitivity, Moral Disengagement And Defender Self-Efficacy. Journal of Adolescence, 36(3): 475-483.
48. Üçok, D. (2020). Kurumlarda Yaşanan Ahlaki Çözülme Mekanizmasına İlişkin Bir Örnek Olay İncelemesi . Dokuz Eylül Üniversitesi İşletme Fakültesi Dergisi, 21(1) , 95-124 .
49. Ventura, C. G., Santa, C.E. H, Vergara, J. D. ve Mora, N. N. (2022) Moral Disengagement, Dark Triad and Face Mask Wearing during the COVID-19 Pandemic. European Journal of Investigation in Health, Psychology and Education, 2022; 12(9), 1300-1310.
50. Wu W., Su Y., Huang X., Liu W. ve Jiang X. (2020). The Dark Triad, Moral Disengagement, and Social Entrepreneurial Intention: Moderating Roles of Empathic Concern and Perspective Taking. Front. Psychol. 11:1520. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2020.01520
51. Yıldız, B. (2015). The Antecedents of Constructive and Destructive Deviant Workplace Behaviors. (Doktora tezi). Gebze Teknik Üniversitesi, Kocaeli.
52. Yıldız, B., Alpkan, L., Sezen, B. ve Yıldız, H. (2015). A Proposed Conceptual Model of Destructive Deviance: The Mediator Role of Moral Disengagement. Procedia - Social and Behavioral Sciences, 207, 414-423.
53. Zeigler-Hill, V. ve Marcus, D.K. (2016). Introduction: A bright future for dark personality features? V. Zeigler-Hill ve D. K. Marcus (Ed.), The dark side of personality: Science and practice in social, personality, and clinical psychology içinde (ss. 3–22). Washington: American Psychological Association. https://doi.org/10.1037/14854-001