When darkness reigns: An investigation into dark personalities and abusive supervision

The aim of the present study was to empirically test the Dark Triad traits – Machiavellianism, psychopathy, and narcissism - as antecedents to abusive supervision intent, incorporating previously unexamined mediators and moderators through a semi-experimental design. Grounded in the Dark Triad Theory of personality (Paulhus & Williams, 2002) and informed by Morf and Rhodewalt's (2001) Self-Regulatory Model of narcissism, the study utilized a bi-factor model to capture the paradoxical nature of narcissism by distinguishing between grandiose and vulnerable narcissism subtypes (Wink, 1991). This approach addressed conflicting findings in the literature (Wisse & Sleebos, 2016; Finney et al., 2021) and provided a nuanced understanding of narcissism's relationship with abusive supervision intent. Achievement threat and self-esteem threat were proposed as mediators, while followers' supervisor-directed deviance was examined as a moderator. Data from 303 participants revealed that all Dark Triad traits were positively associated with abusive supervision intent, though motivations varied. Grandiose narcissism was linked to dominance-oriented behaviors and resilience to perceived threats, while vulnerable narcissism amplified sensitivity to achievement threat and self-esteem threat, particularly under low and moderate followers' supervisor-directed deviance conditions. Psychopathy emerged as a robust predictor of abusive supervision intent across all followers' supervisor-directed deviance levels, highlighting its impulsive and callous tendencies. Machiavellianism demonstrated adaptability, perceiving heightened threats under high followers' supervisor-directed deviance but seldom translating these perceptions into overtly abusive behaviors. Mediation analyses indicated that self-esteem threat partially explained the relationship between Dark Triad traits and abusive supervision intent under moderate followers' supervisor-directed deviance, whereas direct effects dominated in low and high followers' directed deviance contexts. These findings extend theoretical models of toxic leadership by illuminating the distinct mechanisms of Dark Triad traits and emphasizing the importance of contextual and personality-driven factors in shaping abusive supervisory behaviors. Keywords: abusive supervision, Dark Triad traits, followers' supervisor-directed deviance, achievement threat, self-esteem threat