Dark Triad Personality Traits and Individual Work Performance among School Teachers: A Comparative Analysis

Abstract

This study investigates the relationship between the Dark Triad personality traits, Machiavellianism, narcissism, psychopathy and, individual work performance (IWP) among school teachers. A sample of 186 teachers (101 governments and 85 private, 96 male and 90 female) from Maharashtra, India, completed the Short Dark Triad (SD3) and the Individual Work Performance Questionnaire (IWPQ). Data analysis involved descriptive statistics, independent-samples t-tests, and Pearson correlation coefficients. The results indicated that private school teachers exhibited significantly higher levels of Machiavellianism and narcissism compared to government school teachers. Gender analysis revealed that males scored significantly higher on psychopathy than females, contradicting earlier narrative interpretations in the source material. Furthermore, teachers aged 40 and above showed higher task performance compared to those below 40. Correlation analysis demonstrated significant associations between narcissism and both task and contextual performance, while psychopathy was negatively correlated with contextual performance and positively associated with counterproductive work behavior. Several data inconsistencies in the primary source, particularly regarding the reconciliation of component means for counterproductive work behavior, were identified and flagged for verification. The findings underscore the importance of personality assessment in educational recruitment and the need for institutional support to manage the impact of maladaptive traits on school performance.