Dark Tetrad traits (narcissism, psychopathy, Machiavellianism, and sadism) can also be a relational strategy.

The behaviors associated with the Dark Tetrad can serve as a defense against vulnerability and helplessness.

In a culture of keyboard warriors and uncivil leaders, Dark Tetrad behaviors may seem adaptive, but are not.

I recently published a study that found that people who really like political leaders who are uncivil, who frequently don’t have their facts straight, and who don't have evidence on their side score highly on Dark Triad characteristics (Killian, 2025). As a quick review, Dark Triad traits are narcissism—grandiosity, “I’m the center of the universe,” sensitivity to criticism; Machiavellianism—manipulative, purely transactional in relationships; and psychopathy—low empathy, low to no remorse, detached. The fourth factor in the Dark Tetrad is sadism (i.e., deriving pleasure from cruelty to others).

These four characteristics exist on a spectrum, and it is important to keep in mind that most people who display facets of them may not be diagnosable. But psychologist Joshua Coleman (2026) points out how increasingly rewarded these traits are nowadays, especially in online interactions where anonymity and a lack of consequences for posting insults and abuse make for an “open season” for keyboard warriors. Most are by now familiar with the term cancel culture. Coleman drills down........

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