Exploring Self-concept Clarity and Boundary Management in Individuals with Dark Triad Personality Traits

Personality traits are widely used to explain how individuals behave in interpersonal situations; however, less attention has been paid to how they interpret and make sense of these situations at a deeper psychological level. In particular, the Dark Triad (Narcissism, Machiavellianism, and psychopathy) has typically been described in terms of manipulation, detachment, and self-interest, while the underlying meaning-making processes through which these traits are expressed in interpersonal contexts remain largely unexplored. The present study investigated how individuals with varying levels of Dark Triad traits construe their preferred strategies for dealing with problematic interpersonal situations. Using a qualitative-dominant mixed-methods design, 43 students from the University of Padua first completed a quantitative assessment of Dark Triad traits and then participated in repertory grid and laddering procedures grounded in Personal Construct Psychology. This approach made it possible to explore participants’ hierarchical systems of meaning and the superordinate values underlying their interpersonal interpretations. The findings revealed a complex and nuanced pattern of meaning-making. Identity-related and self-focused meanings were consistently prominent; however, no robust statistical evidence supported the expectation that higher Dark Triad traits would be associated more strongly with control-oriented than growth-related meanings. This suggests that individuals with elevated Dark Triad traits do not uniformly gravitate toward control-based interpretations when making sense of interpersonal difficulties. At the same time, distinct descriptive patterns emerged across trait profiles, indicating that narcissism, Machiavellianism, and psychopathy may each be associated with partially different configurations of interpersonal meaning. In addition, participants tended to emphasise self-enhancement over purely self-protective reasoning, pointing to a more active and self-directed orientation in their interpretation of problematic social situations. Overall, the results indicate that interpersonal meaning-making in individuals with elevated Dark Triad traits is not exclusively characterised by manipulation or control. Rather, their responses appear to reflect structured systems of meaning involving self-regulation, identity concerns, and strategic interpretations of social situations. These findings highlight the importance of moving beyond surface-level trait descriptions and contribute to a more nuanced understanding of how individuals with Dark Triad characteristics navigate interpersonal challenges.