Modeling the Dark Triad of Personality (Machiavellianism, Psychopathy, and Narcissism) Based on Feelings of Inferiority, Anxiety, and Social Rejection with the Mediating Role of Attachment Styles in Adolescents with the Experience of Running Away from Home

Abstract

This study aimed to model the Dark Triad of personality (Machiavellianism, psychopathy, and narcissism) based on feelings of inferiority, anxiety, and social rejection with the mediating role of attachment styles in adolescents with the experience of running away from home. The present research was applied in nature and correlational in terms of method. The statistical population of this study consisted of adolescents (male and female), aged 14 to 18 years, who attended drop-in harm reduction centers and overnight shelters in Tehran (Tehranpars, Shush-Herandi neighborhoods) during the first half of 2023, totaling 2,400 individuals. For sample selection, purposive sampling was employed among adolescents aged 14 to 18 years who visited these harm reduction centers and shelters, had a social work case file in these centers, and provided informed consent to participate in the study. Based on Krejcie and Morgan’s table and considering the population size, 331 participants were selected as the sample. The required data were collected using the Short Dark Triad Questionnaire by Jonason and Webster (2010), the Feelings of Inferiority Questionnaire by Yao et al. (1997), the Social Isolation Questionnaire by Chelipi and Amirkhafi (2004), the Liebowitz Social Anxiety Scale (1987), and the Barratt Impulsiveness Scale by Barratt et al. (2004). To examine the research hypotheses, structural equation modeling was conducted using AMOS software. The results showed that feelings of inferiority play a role in predicting the Dark Triad of personality (Machiavellianism, psychopathy, and narcissism) through the mediating role of impulse control in adolescents with the experience of running away from home. It was also found that social anxiety plays a role in predicting the Dark Triad of personality (Machiavellianism, psychopathy, and narcissism) through the mediating role of attachment styles in adolescents with the experience of running away from home. Other findings indicated that social rejection plays a role in predicting the Dark Triad of personality (Machiavellianism, psychopathy, and narcissism) through the mediating role of attachment styles in adolescents with the experience of running away from home.