Literature has been dedicated to exploring themes of darkness and light since ancient myth. The Devil versus God. Luke versus Vader. Dark versus light. It doesn't have to be so black and white — we are both light and dark at the same time.
We are grey.
Humans are fascinated by the poles of human thought and behavior. Tropes of the villain and the hero underlay almost all of our narrative history. There is much debate on whether or not there is a universal “good" or “bad." Many recent stories work to paint a more realistic image of us: one that shows a continuum of complex emotions and ethical systems and decisions. Keep that when you look at your dark score.
In an effort to understand the good, the bad, and the ugly — IDR Labs has come up with a new way to look at personalities and their abnormalities. Based on nine studies of behavioral psychology, the test offers nine comparative categories of “dark" traits.
Dark seems to be defined as behavior or ideation that is selfish, cruel, or out of control. The test asks you to rate your agreement to a statement varying from extremely disagree to extremely agree.
According to IDR Labs, these are the traits measured:
Egoism: "Excessive concern with one's own pleasure or advantage at the expense of community well-being," (Weigel et al. 1999).
Machiavellianism: "Manipulativeness, callous affect, and a strategic, calculating orientation," (Jones & Paulhus 2014).
Moral Disengagement: "A generalized cognitive orientation that differentiates one's thinking towards unethical behavior," (Moore et al. 2012).
Narcissism: "An all-consuming drive towards ego-reinforcement and an egotistical interest in, or admiration of, one's self," (Jones & Paulhus 2014; Smith 2017).
Entitlement: "A stable and pervasive sense that one deserves and is entitled to more than others," (Campbell et al. 2004).
Psychopathy: "Deficits in effect and self-control (i.e. callousness and impulsivity), as well as a lack of remorse, antisocial behavior, and volatility." (Jones & Paulhus 2014; Smith 2017)
Sadism: "A tendency to humiliate others via cruel or demeaning behavior, or the propensity to intentionally inflict physical, sexual, or psychological pain on others in order to assert power or for pleasure and enjoyment," (O'Meara et al. 2011).
Self-Interest: "The unprincipled pursuit of gains in socially valued domains, such as material goods, social status, recognition, achievement, and success," (Gerbasi & Prentice 2013).
Spitefulness: "A tendency to engage in behavior that would harm others but would also entail harm to oneself," (Marcus et al. 2014).
Total Dark Core: "Your total Dark Core factor. Higher scores indicate a darker personality."
Click here to take the test... if you dare: The Dark Core Personality Test.
