Look What You Made Me Do: Examining Dark Traits and Victimhood Tendencies in Allocation Games

Abstract

The current study examined the relationship between Dark Personality, Light Personality, and the Tendency for Interpersonal Victimhood using allocation games. While previous research has established connections between the Dark Tetrad (Machiavellianism, psychopathy, narcissism, and everyday sadism,) the Light Triad (faith in humanity, humanism, and Kantianism,) and behavior in allocation games, this study contributes to the literature by investigating the Tendency for Interpersonal Victimhood (moral elitism, need for recognition, lack of empathy, rumination) and its relationship with these other personality frameworks. To do so, two different allocation games (Dictator's and Ultimatum) with manipulated conditions of context, framing, and resource were used. This study also examined the potential moderating role of Honesty-Humility in allocation behavior. Results provided insights into personality and behavior. The Dark Tetrad, Light Triad, and the Tendency for Interpersonal Victimhood significantly predicted donation behavior on allocation games. Honesty-Humility only moderated the relationship between the Dark Tetrad and allocation behavior. Factors of these allocation games themselves, such as framing, context, and resource, as well as the specific combination of these factors, impacted behavior. This research has important implications for understanding the role of personality in workplace behavior and decision-making, which becomes relevant particularly in leadership and executive positions where Dark traits may be more prevalent.