The present study examined the Dark Triad personality traits—Machiavellianism, psychopathy, and narcissism—as antecedents to abusive supervision intent, incorporating previously unexamined mediating mechanisms within a semi-experimental design. Grounded in the Dark Triad Theory of personality (Paulhus & Williams, 2002) and guided by Morf and Rhodewalt's (2001) Self-Regulatory Model of narcissism, the study employed a bi-factor model to differentiate between grandiose and vulnerable narcissism (Wink, 1991), offering a refined understanding of narcissism's complex role in abusive supervisory behavior.
Achievement threat and self-esteem threat were proposed as mediators, and their influence was examined sequentially: first across all conditions combined, then separately within each level of followers' supervisor-directed deviance (low, medium, and high). Data from 303 participants revealed that all Dark Triad traits were positively associated with abusive supervision intent, though underlying motivations differed across deviance conditions. Across all levels, grandiose narcissism was linked to lower perceptions of both threats, whereas vulnerable narcissism was associated with heightened perceptions of threat. Self-esteem threat was positively associated with abusive supervision intent, as were grandiose narcissism and psychopathy. Machiavellianism did not reliably predict threat perceptions or abusive intent in the overall model.
The role of mediation varied by deviance condition. Under high follower deviance, neither mediator explained the relationship between personality traits and abusive intent; instead, direct effects from grandiose narcissism and psychopathy remained significant. Under moderate deviance, self-esteem threat mediated the link between vulnerable narcissism and abusive intent. In the low deviance condition, although vulnerable narcissism predicted higher threat perceptions, these threats did not explain abusive intent. Psychopathy consistently predicted abusive intent across all conditions.
Viewed collectively, the findings suggest that while certain dark personality traits reliably predict abusive intent across all contexts, others exert their influence more selectively, emerging through heightened threat sensitivity in specific interpersonal conditions.