When Darkness Dims the Social Light: The Dark Triad and Prosociality in Latin America

Prosociality combines a fundamental drive to help others with tangible behaviors that enhance both individual and community well-being. Personality traits have long been recognized as key predictors of individuals¿ prosocial intentions, motives, and behaviors, but researchers tend to focus on traits that promote prosociality, with far less attention given to those that may undermine it. Using survey data from 2,880 individuals across nine Latin American countries, we explore the effects of three socially aversive personality traits known as the Dark Triad ¿ Machiavellianism, narcissism, and psychopathy ¿ on prosociality. We find that Machiavellianism is negatively associated with social entrepreneurial intentions; while narcissism and psychopathy are negatively related to socially responsible behaviors, and these relationships are channeled by belief in a just world (BJW). In addition, we find that trait effects are stronger for men than for women. Our work deepens the understanding of how personality interacts with moral cognition and gender norms in shaping prosocial action and contributes to the research on cross-cultural business ethics by clarifying how certain traits impair ethical engagement, and when those effects are most pronounced. © The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Nature B.V. 2025.

When Darkness Dims the Social Light: The Dark Triad and Prosociality in Latin America Academic Article in Scopus