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Dr. Joachim Müllner (Psychiatrist)
Many tests exist in psychology to determine the profile of an individual. In court cases, the dark triad test can be used. What does this test consist of? What is it supposed to reveal? Explanations by Dr Joachim Müllner, psychiatrist at the Hôtel Dieu de Paris
IQ test, personality test… There is a very wide variety of psychological tests, each of them having a very specific function. But do you know the dark triad test? It is an advanced test, which is only interested in certain aspects of the personality.
Narcissism, Machiavellianism and Psychopathy
The dark triad test is a test that was developed following the proposal of psychologists Delroy L. Paulhus and Kevin M. Williams to be based on the three personality traits: narcissism, Machiavellianism and psychopathy.
In 2010, a test called “the ugly dozen of the dark triad”, because of the twelve questions it has, was later published in 2010 by psychologists Peter K. Jonason and Gregory D. Webster, to assess these three traits . Today there are different tests with more or less long series of questions in order to more or less dig into these three personality traits.
Identify dangerous psychological profiles
As part of these tests, the patient is asked simple questions and must give quick answers. For example, he is questioned about his use of hypocritical flattery, his irritability or his cynicism, the objective being to identify the capacities of this person to commit, for example, heinous acts only to achieve his objectives.
The result of the test will be expressed in percentages, and generally one of the three personality traits emerges in the majority. In general, this test makes it possible to identify profiles of murderers or people involved in serious legal acts, but it would seem that it can also detect the profiles of people with high responsibilities, who sometimes present this type of characteristic. also.
The opinion of Dr Joachim Müllner, psychiatrist member of the expert committee of Doctissimo
For Joachim Müllner, psychiatrist at the Hôtel Dieu in Paris, “this test seems to have some success, but in particular because it is easy to do, because it can be done alone, and directly on the internet. It currently has no scientific value recognized by the international community.“.
Furthermore, “all experts, especially in forensic psychiatry, agree that there is no “easy to perform” personality test that is scientifically credible. And therefore, beyond perfectly legitimate personal curiosity, it must not, for the moment and until possible proof of its scientific validity, be used for forensic or therapeutic purposes.“adds Dr. Müllner.
Moreover, the psychiatrist recalls that there is already “many internationally validated scales to assess, for example, a person’s level of psychopathy (Hare scale or PCL-R), or the risk of violent recidivism among perpetrators of violence (VRAG), and already, faced with these scales, all the experts agree that they are very difficult to interpret, that they must be used with care, as aids to reflection, and that they can only be passed and interpreted by specifically trained people”.
For him, this test of the dark triad therefore only allows “nothing very serious, except to say that: yes, if you have a tendency to manipulate others to achieve your ends then it means that you have a more manipulative personality than the average. That is. A priori you did not even need to pass this test to know it, unless taking this test helps you to realize it. This test therefore seems to be, for the moment, yet another expression of the perfectly legitimate desire that humans have to want to objectify their own subjective functioning, but has, for the moment, no recognized scientific validity.“concludes the specialist.
Would you be tempted to take this test? If yes Click here !