There are different branches within psychology, the science that is responsible for analyzing and studying human behavior and the mental processes that are developed so that each individual responds in a certain way to the events that occur in their lives.
One of the branches that studies a type of specific processes is dark psychology, a concept that refers to the study of the negative traits of a person that lead them to act in a Machiavellian, narcissistic or psychopathic way.
Much information can be found on this in dark psychology pdf to learn more about what this branch of psychology is dedicated to and why it is important to know about it.
What is dark psychology?
As we mentioned before, dark psychology is a type of psychology that studies three behaviors of the human being in particular. It receives this name because it is responsible for analyzing negative behaviors in people, that is, they have a negative impact on the lives of others.
Dark psychology is in charge of knowing and identifying different types of manipulation strategies that some people use to achieve what they want, through harm against other people.
As is known, all human beings react in different ways to different situations and everyone’s psyche works in a particular way. In any case, there are patterns that are considered normal that serve to define or analyze the behaviors that occur outside of them.
· What is it for?
The function of dark psychology, if it can be clearly defined and delimit its work, is based on the analysis of subclinical traits in different people that can negatively influence their environment, that is, society.
Subclinical traits are those that are not pathologies, disorders or diseases, but ways of acting or social behaviors. The subclinical traits that dark psychology studies are narcissism, Machiavellianism, and psychopathy.
All people can find some of these three traits or all three in our behavior, but it is alarming when these occur constantly and progressively in some people.
So, dark psychology is used to detect, analyze and work on subclinical traits in those patients who present them and that can be harmful and even dangerous for the rest of society.
Those who dedicate themselves to dark psychology do so in order to understand and unravel this type of behavior to provide help and solutions to the people who suffer from it. In any case, this branch of psychology also goes much further and proposes tools for self-knowledge and enlightenment.
· the dark triad
The three traits that we defined earlier and that are the ones that dark psychology studies are known as the dark triad. This triad is made up of narcissism, Machiavellianism, and psychopathy.
Also as we mentioned earlier, these three traits are known as subclinical traits. Narcissism is a trait that manifests itself in people as self-centeredness, a need for idolatry from others, and a sense of omnipotence.
On the other hand, Machiavellianism is associated with the manipulation and behavior of people who act only thinking of their own good and personal benefits, leaving aside the integrity of others and even harming others to achieve their goals.
Finally, psychopathy is the trait manifested by some people who lack empathy, that is, they cannot “put themselves in the shoes” of another person to understand their actions or their thoughts. Many times psychopathic people are manipulative and even hurt others.
If an individual presents these three subclinical traits, it is clear that he is an extremely dangerous person for his environment and for society in general. For this reason, dark psychology is very present and is very important in work environments, where the psychological profile of a person is evaluated before assigning a position in any hierarchy, especially leadership.
· fourth trait
Some theories have begun to suggest the addition of a fourth to the study of dark psychology, sadism. This trait refers to the pleasure people feel from the suffering of others.
Those who behave cruelly, degrading and humiliate others, and in turn enjoy it, are people who have a sadistic trait, which according to many psychology theorists, should be incorporated into the study of dark psychology.
How does dark psychology affect daily life?
Dark psychology affects daily life in different ways. On the one hand, it is a great tool to avoid manipulation and mistreatment of different ties, both personal and professional.
Being able to detect and know the traits of the dark triad helps people to stay alert against possible behaviors of other individuals that negatively affect the development of their activities and daily routines.
But that is not all. Dark psychology is a great tool that is used in the business field to analyze the behaviors of the people who are there and to be able to identify possible conflicting personalities before it is too late.
People who have the subclinical traits studied by dark psychology also have a tendency to want to occupy leadership positions, so in business settings it is essential to detect this type of personality before they occupy hierarchical positions within a company.
That is, if a person with subclinical traits occupies an important place within a company, it can be extremely negative both for the objectives of the company in general and for the colleagues who work with that person.
That is why dark psychology is of fundamental importance both in the personal life of individuals, in order to avoid manipulation and humiliation, as well as to professional fields.
Undoubtedly, all branches of psychology are of great help to improve human behavior, generating healthier and more constructive labor, professional and social ties.
What is dark psychology and how does it affect our daily lives?