“All or nothing”

Abstract

In the current study, we investigated the unique associations between dichotomous thinking, extreme response style (ERS), and the Dark Triad of personality, namely, Machiavellianism, narcissism, and psychopathy. We hypothesized that dichotomous thinking would exhibit a positive effect on ERS, and that dichotomous thinking would be positively associated with the Dark Triad even after accounting for ERS. Participants were 488 adults with a mean age of 29.54 years (SD = 10.38). Results confirmed dichotomous thinking positively predicts ERS, that the relationship between dichotomous thinking and the Dark Triad domains remains positive and significant even after accounting for ERS. Moreover, ERS manifested weak negative associations with the Dark Triad, with a significant relationship only with psychopathy. Findings from the current study help expand the understanding of both the substantive nature of response styles and the cognitive processes underlying the Dark Triad of personality.