Die Dunkle Triade in einer deutschen repräsentativen Stichprobe

Abstract

The "Naughty Nine" is a psychometrically optimized German version of the "Dirty Dozen", a scale to assess the Dark Triad. We examined different psychometric features of the Naughty Nine using a representative German sample (N = 2722). We compared different factor structures, investigated the measurement invariance across gender and age groups, and present reference values. The results show that the Naughty Nine is best represented by bifactor models with Machiavellianism as the reference construct that defines the content of the Dark Core. Measurement invariance can be confirmed across gender, although one indicator was marginally critical. Scalar invariance could not be confirmed across age groups. The reference values provide the possibility to rank individual raw values in relation to a German reference population. Implications for the investigation of the Dark Triad with the Naughty Nine or the Dirty Dozen are discussed.