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Human nature book recommendations:
https://www.robkhenderson.com/favorite-books
I’ve written before about the relationship between childhood instability and later outcomes:The
correlation between unpredictability in childhood and criminal behavior
in adulthood is particularly striking (r = .40, p < .01). This
correlation is roughly the same size as the correlation between
socioeconomic status and SAT scores. The educated class loves
to talk about the effect of wealth on test scores. Seldom do they
discuss the effect of instability in childhood giving rise to harmful
behaviors in adulthood.
Since then, I’ve been curious about how childhood instability affects other life outcomes.
And found that childhood instability is linked to two important personality constellations: The Dark Triad and the Light Triad.
The Dark Triad encompasses three personality traits:
1. Narcissism (grandiosity, self-importance, entitlement)
2. Psychopathy (callousness, cynicism, impulsivity)
3. Machiavellianism (strategically exploitative, duplicitous, manipulative)
In a 2016 study published in the journal Evolutionary Psychology titled
“Resources, Harshness, and Unpredictability: The Socioeconomic
Conditions Associated with the Dark Triad Traits,” researchers measured
Dark Triad traits in people.
They reported how much they agreed with statements such as:
- “Many group activities tend to be dull without me” and “People see me as a natural leader” (Narcissism)
- “People who mess with me always regret it” and “I like to pick on losers” (psychopathy)
- “It’s wise to keep track of information that you can use against people later” and “Avoid direct conflict with others because they may be useful in the future”
They then responded to various statements about their childhood:
- “My parents had a difficult divorce or separation during this time” and “People often moved in and out of my house in a pretty random basis” (childhood instability)
- “I grew up in a relatively wealthy neighborhood” and “My family usually had enough money for things when I was growing up” (childhood socioeconomic status)
Researchers found that instability in childhood was associated
with all three dimensions of the Dark Triad in adulthood. The strongest
link was with psychopathy (r = .23). Across the entire Dark Triad scale,
the correlation was r = .20. Not huge, but still noteworthy. Roughly
equivalent to the link between grades and future earnings.
The effect was especially large for men, relative to women. That is,
boys raised in unstable homes were particularly likely to have high Dark
Triad scores in adulthood.
Interestingly, childhood socioeconomic status had no assiocation with Dark Triad traits in adulthood.
Being poor doesn’t have the same effect as living in chaos.
As the researchers conclude, “All people may have the potential
to be high or low on the Dark Triad traits…exposure to specific
conditions is the precipitating factor, which determines people trait
activation and position on the Dark Triad continuum. Experiences (or at
the very least, recollection of) of childhood unpredictability may be
some of the prerequisite conditions to active the dormant selfishness,
competitiveness, and antisociality found in the Dark Triad traits.”
***
The psychologist and author Tamás Bereczkei has written
that, “Although genetic factors may have a certain role in the
development of the Machiavellian lifestyle and thinking,
Machiavellianism is primarily a result of environmental effects.”
Others have suggested that environmental factors can affect the
behavioral expression of psychopathy.
Robert Hare, the foremost expert on psychopathy, has written,
“social factors and parenting practices help to shape the behavioral
expression of psychopathy, but have less effect on the inability to feel
empathy or develop a conscience. No amount of social conditioning by
itself will generate a capacity for caring.”
Hare is saying that the psychology of psychopaths can’t be changed.
But the behavioral expression of psychopathy can be
shaped by parental and environmental factors. For Dexter fans, this was
the reasoning behind “the code of Harry.” Dexter’s adoptive father
recognized that Dexter would always have the desire to kill. So he
directed Dexter’s impulse away from innocent people.
To be clear, the Dark Triad is not a diagnostic tool for mental
disorders. It measures subclinical psychopathy and narcissism.
Though if someone scores at the uppermost end of those sub-scales, they
might qualify for an official diagnosis.
In a real-life case of psychopathy, a few years ago, a neuroscientist
named James Fallon discovered
that he himself is a psychopath. He was once a self-proclaimed genetic
determinist, but changed his mind. He considered how his warm upbringing
constrained his darker impulses. And said, ‘I was loved, and that
protected me.’”
Fallon believes that had he been raised in a different environment
(i.e., not in a stable middle-class family), his life would look very
different today.
***
Now onto the Light Triad. This is a constellation of three prosocial
traits:
1. Humanism (appreciation of the successes and creations of others)
2. Kantianism (tendency toward behaving with integrity and honesty
rather than deceit and charm)
3. Faith in humanity (believing that people are generally good and
worthy of trust)
To be clear, both the Light and Dark Triad concepts exist on a spectrum.
There is a bit of both in all of us. But a person who scores
particularly high on one or the other would be someone you’d either
trust or avoid.
In a 2019 study
titled “The Light vs. Dark Triad of Personality: Contrasting Two Very
Different Profiles of Human Nature,” researchers asked people how much
they agreed with statements like:
- “I tend to applaud the successes of other people” and “I enjoy listening to people from all walks of life” (Humanism)
- “I prefer honesty over charm” and “When I talk to people, I am rarely thinking about what I want from them” (Kantianism)
- “I tend to see the best in people” and “I tend to trust that other people will deal fairly with me” (Faith in humanity)
Then they responded to statements about their childhood family income and childhood unpredictability. Researchers found that instability in childhood was negatively associated with Light Triad traits (r = -.21). In other words, the more unstable a person’s childhood, the lower their scores on the Light Triad. Childhood socioeconomic status had no relationship with Light Triad traits in adulthood. This mirrors the finding that childhood socioeconomic status did not predict Dark Triad traits in adulthood. In short, having an unstable childhood appears to lead to an increase in deception, coldness, impulsivity, and aggression. And a decrease in kindness, trust, generosity, and honesty. Perhaps we want less psychopathic behavior and more humanistic behavior. Promoting stable and secure homes for children would be one place to start.
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Recommended articles:A tale from Communist China by Wei DaiThe Light Triad vs. Dark Triad of Personality by Scott Barry Kaufman