The DOI matches its Crossref record; 87 of the 87 references it cites were found in a registry or an index.
Searching for a Vulnerable Dark Triad: Comparing Factor 2 Psychopathy, Vulnerable Narcissism, and Borderline Personality Disorder
Abstract
Paulhus and Williams (2002) identified a "Dark Triad" comprising the following related personality styles: narcissism, psychopathy, and Machiavellianism. The heterogeneity found in narcissism and psychopathy raises the possibility of a second triad made up of emotional vulnerability and dark traits (i.e., the vulnerable dark triad; VDT). Along with vulnerable narcissism and Factor 2 psychopathy, the third member of the hypothesized VDT is borderline personality disorder (BPD). Using a sample of 361 undergraduates, we examine the relations between these constructs and their relations with criterion variables, including personality, environmental etiological factors (e.g., abuse), and current functioning (e.g., psychopathology, affect). The results suggest that the VDT constructs are significantly related to one another and manifest similar nomological networks, particularly vulnerable narcissism and BPD. Although the VDT members are related to negative emotionality and antagonistic interpersonal styles, they are also related to introversion and disinhibition. Ultimately, it seems there is a "dark continuum" of pathological personality traits that differ primarily in relation to negative and positive emotionality and disinhibition.
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“Furthermore, vulnerable narcissists manifest low, fragile, and highly dependent self-esteem (Miller et al., 2010;Rogoza, Żemojtel-Piotrowska, Kwiatkowska, & Kwiatkowska, 2018;Zeigler-Hill, Clark, & Pickard, 2008).”
From Narcissus locked in the past: vulnerable narcissism and the negative views of the past. (2021) · cites this paper as Miller et al., 2010
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“Borderline personality, in its subclinical version, is discussed as part of the Vul-nerable Dark Triad , expanding the traditional Dark Triad to include traits characterized by emotional instability (Miller et al., 2010).”
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Araujo, B. B., Rose, L., Miller, J. D., & Schermer, J. A. (2026) · Journal of Personality Assessment · doi:10.1080/00223891.2026.2618030
“Borderline personality is categorized within the VDT due to shared traits of negative emotionality, antagonism, and impulsivity (Miller et al., 2010).”
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Wahlers, D. E., & Hart, W. (2026) · Self and Identity · doi:10.1080/15298868.2026.2632956
“Specifically, it may not fully represent the cynicism of Machiavellianism (Monaghan et al., 2020) nor represent some vulnerable features that can covary with antisocial personality, such as vulnerable narcissism (Miller et al., 2010).”
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“…characterized by hypersensitivity to rejection, uncertainty, social isolation, distrust of others, elevated levels of anger and hostility, and a defensive attitude – basically, a hostile, threatening, and anxious perception of the external world (Miller et al. 2010; Zajenkowski and Szymaniak 2021).”
Phillips, T. R., Whitman, M. R., Holmes, K., Brown, J. R., & Ben‐Porath, Y. S. (2026) · Journal of Personality Assessment · doi:10.1080/00223891.2026.2732053
“The high degree of similarity between the nomologi-cal networks of the BPD and vulnerable narcissism constructs suggests that the two terms likely reflect the same construct (e.g., Miller et al., 2010).”
Jonathan-Zamir, T., Perry, G., Kaplan‐Damary, N., & Willis, J. J. (2026) · Journal of Experimental Criminology · doi:10.1007/s11292-026-09781-1
Debowska, A. (2014) · University of Huddersfield Repository (University of Huddersfield)
Metadata
- Authors
- Miller, J. D., Dir, A., Gentile, B., Wilson, L., Pryor, L. R., & Campbell, W. K.
- Affiliations
- University of Georgia (US)
- Corresponding author
- Miller, Joshua D.
- Venue
- Journal of Personality
- Publisher
- Wiley
- Published
- 2010-09-01
- Volume
- 78
- Issue
- 5
- Pages
- 1529-1564
- ISSN
- 0022-3506 (ISSN-L)
- OpenAlex
- W1566765103
- Cited by
- 530
- References
- 85
- Citations by year
- 2026: 15 · 2025: 24 · 2024: 32 · 2023: 31 · 2022: 46 · 2021: 36 · 2020: 74 · 2019: 52 · 2018: 45 · 2017: 31 · 2016: 27 · 2015: 27 · 2014: 25 · 2013: 18 · 2012: 21
- FWCI
- 22.90
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- Journal of Personality (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Topics
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Clinical Psychology › Personality Traits and Psychology
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Clinical Psychology › Personality Disorders and Psychopathology
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Clinical Psychology › Psychopathy, Forensic Psychiatry, Sexual Offending
- Keywords
- vulnerable narcissism, borderline personality disorder, dark personality traits, negative affectivity, disinhibition, introversion, antagonism, abuse, psychopathology, affect, nomological network
- MeSH terms
- Adult, Antisocial Personality Disorder, Borderline Personality Disorder, Female, Humans, Interpersonal Relations, Machiavellianism, Male, Narcissism, Psychological Tests, Psychometrics, Surveys and Questionnaires, Risk Factors, Social Desirability, Students, Temperament, Young Adult
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