D - The Dark Factor of Personality

Ethically, morally, and socially questionable behavior is part of everyday life. Psychologists use the umbrella term "dark traits" to subsume personality traits that are linked to these classes of behavior — most prominently, Machiavellianism, Narcissism, and Psychopathy (among many others). The Dark Factor of Personality (D) specifies what all dark traits have in common, i.e., their common core. You can determine your level in D at qst.darkfactor.org. Find more information about D at darkfactor.org.

Your Scores

Please find your score(s) on the D-factor and the specific dark traits (if you completed the longest version) below. For all scores, the scale ranges from 1 (very low) to 5 (very high). Below the score, your relative position (rank) compared to the other 2432185 participants of this study is shown. For example, a rank of 80% means that your score is equal to or higher than the score of 80% of the participants.

In interpreting the results, please note that the participants of this study are not representative for the general population, so that the ranks are certainly inaccurate. Also note that the results can only be reliable to the extent that you responded seriously and honestly.

Here is a permanent link to your results:

Your D-Score

The Dark Factor of Personality (D) specifies the basic principle underlying all dark traits. D is the tendency to maximize one's individual utility — disregarding, accepting, or malevolently provoking disutility for others —, accompanied by beliefs that serve as justifications. Put simply, individuals high in D will ruthlessly pursue their own interests, even when it negatively affects others (or even for the sake of it), while having beliefs that justify these behaviors.

Scores on specific dark traits

D can be evident in quite different more specific dark characteristics. People with high scores on D will generally score high on various, if not all, of these traits.