Walden University ScholarWorks Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies Collection 2020 Academic Incivility: Can the Dark Triad Personality Traits Predict Academic Entitlement? Melissa M. Foley Walden University Follow this and additional works at: https://scholarworks.waldenu.edu/dissertations Part of the Educational Psychology Commons, and the Psychology Commons This Dissertation is brought to you for free and open access by the Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies Collection at ScholarWorks. It has been accepted for inclusion in Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies by an authorized administrator of ScholarWorks. For more information, please contact [email protected]. Walden University College of Social and Behavioral Sciences This is to certify that the doctoral dissertation by Melissa Foley has been found to be complete and satisfactory in all respects, and that any and all revisions required by the review committee have been made. Review Committee Dr. Matthew Fearrington, Committee Chairperson, Psychology Faculty Dr. Susan Rarick, Committee Member, Psychology Faculty Dr. Brandy Benson, University Reviewer, Psychology Faculty Chief Academic Officer and Provost Sue Subocz, Ph.D. Walden University 2020 Abstract Academic Incivility: Can the Dark Triad Personality Traits Predict Academic Entitlement? by Melissa Foley MS Applied Psychology, Walden University, 2016 MS Forensic Psychology, Walden University, 2014 BS Criminal Justice, Harrison College, 2012 Dissertation Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy Clinical Psychology Walden University February 2020 Abstract Academic entitlement is a view held by students that can cause dissent and student incivility. Academic entitlement can be driven by various factors, including the personality traits of the Dark Triad (personality traits of Machiavellianism, psychopathy, and narcissism). Other researchers have examined the relationship between these traits and academic entitlement, but further research on this subject is needed. Adams’ equity theory, which proposes that people experience distress when they identify as either under- or over rewarded individuals, provided the theoretical foundation for this study. Using a quantitative approach, 160 participants were recruited using online methods and asked to complete a survey comprised of the Academic Entitlement Scale, the Short Dark Triad Scale, and the Marlowe-Crowne Social Desirability Scale. Hierarchical multiple regression was used to examine the relationship between the data gathered on the Dark Triad personality traits and academic entitlement. The results indicated Machiavellianism and psychopathy traits contained in the Dark Triad personalities do predict academic entitlement. This knowledge promotes positive social change by providing educators and support staff with insight into the millennial generation of students. A greater understanding of the link between personality traits allows professors and support staff to mitigate these behaviors by adapting their teaching styles to diminish the chance of academic-entitled behaviors to manifest. Academic Incivility: Can the Dark Triad Personality Traits Predict Academic Entitlement? by Melissa Foley MS, Applied Psychology Walden University, 2016 MS Forensic Psychology, Walden University, 2014 BS Criminal Justice, Harrison College, 2012 Dissertation Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy Clinical Psychology Walden University February 2020 Table of Contents List of Tables ..................................................................................................................... iv List of Figures ......................................................................................................................v Chapter 1: Introduction to the Study ....................................................................................1 Introduction ....................................................................................................................1 Background ....................................................................................................................1 Problem Statement .........................................................................................................3 Purpose ...........................................................................................................................4 Theoretical Framework ..................................................................................................5 Research Questions ........................................................................................................6 Nature of the Study ........................................................................................................7 Definitions......................................................................................................................8 Assumptions ...................................................................................................................9 Delimitations ................................................................................................................10 Limitations ...................................................................................................................10 Significance..................................................................................................................11 Summary ......................................................................................................................12 Chapter 2: Literature Review .............................................................................................13 Introduction ..................................................................................................................13 Content and Search Strategy ........................................................................................13 Theoretical Framework ................................................................................................13 Entitlement ...................................................................................................................16 i Academic Entitlement ..................................................................................................18 Dark Triad ....................................................................................................................24 Machiavellianism .................................................................................................. 26 Narcissism ............................................................................................................. 29 Psychopathy .......................................................................................................... 31 Dark Triad Personality Traits and Academic Entitlement ...........................................33 Social Desirability Bias................................................................................................34 Summary ......................................................................................................................36 Chapter 3: Research Method ..............................................................................................37 Introduction ..................................................................................................................37 Research Design...........................................................................................................37 Methodology ................................................................................................................38 Sampling Strategy and Procedures for Recruitment ............................................. 38 Sample Size ........................................................................................................... 38 Procedures and Data Collection ............................................................................ 39 Instrumentation ............................................................................................................39 Short Dark Triad ................................................................................................... 40 Academic Entitlement Scale ................................................................................. 43 Marlowe-Crowne Social Desirability Scale.......................................................... 45 Research Questions and Hypotheses ...........................................................................48 Data Analysis ........................................................................................................ 49 Threats to Validity ................................................................................................ 50 ii Ethical Considerations .................................................................................................50 Summary ......................................................................................................................51 Chapter 4: Results ..............................................................................................................53 Introduction ..................................................................................................................53 Results 53 Summary ......................................................................................................................64