Author(s)

Adrian Furnham

Department of Psychology, University College London, London, UK.

This paper reports on two studies, each with large adult populations, which look at Dark-Side correlates (subclinical Personality Disorders) of two different measures of Trait Conscientiousness. In the first study, 5300 British adults completed the Prudence scale of the Hogan Personality Inventory (HPI) as well as the Hogan Development Survey (HDS), which measures Dark-Side traits. Correlation and regression results confirmed many of the associations between the seven facets of the Prudence scale and the Dark Side traits. Results showed that people who score high on Excitable, Mischievous and Imaginative reported low scores, while those who scored high on Diligent reported high scores on Prudence and its facets. In the second study, 6700 British adults completed the NEO-PI-R Conscientiousness Scale with six facet scores as well as the HDS. Regressions showed a similar pattern: people scoring high on Bold and Diligent, and low on Excitable and Cautious reported higher Conscientiousness. Similarities and differences in the findings for the two studies are considered. Paradoxically Conscientiousness is negatively associated with those Dark Side traits that are correlated with leadership emergence. Limitations of these studies are discussed.

Dark Side, Big Five, Prudence, Concientiousness, Learning Approach

Furnham, A. (2017) The Dark Side of Conscientiousness. Psychology, 8, 1879-1893. doi: 10.4236/psych.2017.811122.