VCU news

By Brian McNeill

Psychologists have long used the term “dark” to describe antisocial traits. For example, the “Dark Triad” commonly refers to narcissism, psychopathy and Machiavellianism. But a new article argues that the field of psychology should stop using “dark” because it is stigmatizing, sensationalistic and imprecise.

Published in the Journal of Psychopathology and Clinical Science, the article – “It Is Past Time to Abandon the Term ‘Dark’ as a Descriptor of Antagonistic Traits” – was authored by David Chester, Ph.D., an associate professor of psychology in the College of Humanities and Sciences at Virginia Commonwealth University, along with colleagues Donald Lynam, Ph.D., of Purdue University and Joshua Miller, Ph.D., of the University of Georgia.

“Imagine a paper that offers a model of the manifestations of low intelligence, titled the ‘D(umb) Factor of Low Intelligence.’ Many psychologists would object to this label as being stigmatizing, unhelpful, vague and offensive,” the authors wrote. “Yet a similarly troublesome term has slipped into the psychological literature without protest – the use of ‘dark’ as a descriptor of antagonistic constructs (e.g., psychopathy, narcissism). The ubiquity with which this term has become embedded in psychology is disconcerting.”

The researchers argue that the term “dark” should be avoided moving forward for four reasons:

Stigmatization: Labeling traits as “dark” may discourage individuals with those characteristics from seeking therapeutic support.

Sensationalism: The term connects a serious area of clinical and psychological science with ”the dark side of The Force” and other popular culture concepts that cheapen and delegitimize research on this topic. 

Imprecision: The term does not do a good job of precisely describing what antisocial traits are, and it can mislead people by making them rely on their own intuitions about what “dark” means. 

Potentially problematic: When used to describe harmful or antisocial traits, the term may relate dark colors with immorality, antisociality and aggressiveness, thereby potentially reinforcing baseless racial stereotypes.

“Dozens of scholarly articles and books are published using this term every year, and it has embedded itself within the public consciousness,” Chester said. “This terminology undermines the important goals of destigmatizing an important aspect of mental health, of taking a serious and respectful approach to traits that wreak havoc in many people’s lives, of clearly communicating and precisely defining our topics of study, and of promoting social justice.” 

Notably, all three authors disclose in the article that they have published papers using the term “Dark Triad” in the past, going along with field norms. They pledged to avoid the term in the future and encourage others to do the same.