Humor in Dark Personalities: An Empirical Study on the Link Between Four Humor Styles and the Distinct Subfactors of Psychopathy and Narcissism

Overview

Journal Front Psychol

Date 2021 Apr 29

PMID 33912091

Authors

Jill Lobbestael

Vanessa Lea Freund

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

Background: Humor is a main ingredient of interpersonal relationships. Two sets of psychopathological traits known for their devastating impact on interpersonal relationships are psychopathy and narcissism. The current study was developed to provide a fine-grained analysis of the relationship between four humor styles (affiliative, self-enhancing, self-defeating, and aggressive) and both psychopathic and narcissistic traits. Specifically, it addresses how humor styles relate to the three psychopathy subfactors (following the triarchic model) and four subfactors of grandiose narcissism.

Method: Self-report measures in a non-clinical male sample = 177.

Results: Multiple regression analyses revealed psychopathic and narcissistic traits' relation to using both benign and injurious humor. Subfactor analyses showed that aggressive and self-defeating humor were mostly associated with impulsivity and entitlement, while dominance levels actuated the use of humor to cope with stress. The cold-heartedness component of psychopathy proved to be particularly humorless, setting it aside as a distinctively disturbing psychopathic subfactor.

Conclusions And Implications: Humor strongly colors the interpersonal style of both psychopathic and narcissistic personalities. Differential components of both personality types inform on the possible underlying motivations that drive the use of distinct styles of humor. This implies that psychopathic and narcissistic traits could potentially be lowered through the alternation of humor styles.

References

Bushman B, Anderson C . Is it time to pull the plug on the hostile versus instrumental aggression dichotomy?. Psychol Rev. 2001; 108(1):273-9. DOI: 10.1037/0033-295x.108.1.273. View

Grijalva E, Zhang L . Narcissism and Self-Insight: A Review and Meta-Analysis of Narcissists' Self-Enhancement Tendencies. Pers Soc Psychol Bull. 2015; 42(1):3-24. DOI: 10.1177/0146167215611636. View

Lobbestael J, van Teffelen M, Baumeister R . Psychopathy subfactors distinctively predispose to dispositional and state-level of sadistic pleasure. J Behav Ther Exp Psychiatry. 2019; 67:101458. DOI: 10.1016/j.jbtep.2019.02.003. View

Berg J, Hecht L, Latzman R, Lilienfeld S . Examining the correlates of the coldheartedness factor of the Psychopathic Personality Inventory-Revised. Psychol Assess. 2015; 27(4):1494-9. DOI: 10.1037/pas0000129. View

Patrick C, Fowles D, Krueger R . Triarchic conceptualization of psychopathy: developmental origins of disinhibition, boldness, and meanness. Dev Psychopathol. 2009; 21(3):913-38. DOI: 10.1017/S0954579409000492. View

Bushman B, Baumeister R, Thomaes S, Ryu E, Begeer S, West S . Looking again, and harder, for a link between low self-esteem and aggression. J Pers. 2009; 77(2):427-46. DOI: 10.1111/j.1467-6494.2008.00553.x. View

Jordan C, Spencer S, Zanna M, Hoshino-Browne E, Correll J . Secure and defensive high self-esteem. J Pers Soc Psychol. 2003; 85(5):969-78. DOI: 10.1037/0022-3514.85.5.969. View

Drislane L, Patrick C, Arsal G . Clarifying the content coverage of differing psychopathy inventories through reference to the triarchic psychopathy measure. Psychol Assess. 2013; 26(2):350-362. PMC: 4100942. DOI: 10.1037/a0035152. View

Kidd S, Miller R, Boyd G, Cardena I . Relationships between humor, subversion, and genuine connection among persons with severe mental illness. Qual Health Res. 2009; 19(10):1421-30. DOI: 10.1177/1049732309348381. View

10.

Fite P, Greening L, Stoppelbein L . Relation between parenting stress and psychopathic traits among children. Behav Sci Law. 2008; 26(2):239-48. DOI: 10.1002/bsl.803. View

11.

Barelds D, Dijkstra P . Narcissistic Personality Inventory: structure of the adapted Dutch version. Scand J Psychol. 2009; 51(2):132-8. DOI: 10.1111/j.1467-9450.2009.00737.x. View

12.

Marcus D, Fulton J, Edens J . The two-factor model of psychopathic personality: evidence from the psychopathic personality inventory. Personal Disord. 2013; 4(1):67-76. DOI: 10.1037/a0025282. View

13.

Miller J, Campbell W . Comparing clinical and social-personality conceptualizations of narcissism. J Pers. 2008; 76(3):449-76. DOI: 10.1111/j.1467-6494.2008.00492.x. View

14.

Vieira J, Marsh A . Don't stand so close to me: psychopathy and the regulation of interpersonal distance. Front Hum Neurosci. 2014; 7:907. PMC: 3887266. DOI: 10.3389/fnhum.2013.00907. View

15.

Emmons R . Factor analysis and construct validity of the Narcissistic Personality Inventory. J Pers Assess. 1984; 48(3):291-300. DOI: 10.1207/s15327752jpa4803_11. View

16.

Guay J, Ruscio J, Knight R, Hare R . A taxometric analysis of the latent structure of psychopathy: evidence for dimensionality. J Abnorm Psychol. 2007; 116(4):701-16. DOI: 10.1037/0021-843X.116.4.701. View

17.

Poythress N, Lilienfeld S, Skeem J, Douglas K, Edens J, Epstein M . Using the PCL-R to help estimate the validity of two self-report measures of psychopathy with offenders. Assessment. 2009; 17(2):206-19. DOI: 10.1177/1073191109351715. View

18.

Lilienfeld S, Waldman I, Landfield K, Watts A, Rubenzer S, Faschingbauer T . Fearless dominance and the U.S. presidency: implications of psychopathic personality traits for successful and unsuccessful political leadership. J Pers Soc Psychol. 2012; 103(3):489-505. DOI: 10.1037/a0029392. View

19.

Uzieblo K, Verschuere B, Van den Bussche E, Crombez G . The validity of the psychopathic personality inventory--revised in a community sample. Assessment. 2009; 17(3):334-46. DOI: 10.1177/1073191109356544. View

20.

Raskin R, Hall C . A narcissistic personality inventory. Psychol Rep. 1979; 45(2):590. DOI: 10.2466/pr0.1979.45.2.590. View