The Big Five, Dark Personality, Moral Disengagement and Counterproductive Behavior at Work

Abstract

This study examines the relationship between Big Five personality traits, dark personality (i.e., Machiavellianism, narcissism, and psychopathy), and moral disengagement in relation to counterproductive behaviors at work (CWB). The sample consisted of 118 felons convicted of economic crimes (M = 43.81, SD = 10.75). Results revealed a significant association between moral disengagement and dark personality traits and CWB. Moreover, the variance explained by the dark personality was notably higher than that accounted for by the Big Five model. Specifically, moral disengagement and psychopathy significantly increased the variance explained by the Big Five (ΔR² = .17). Additionally, Browne’s coefficient (∆Rcv² = .15) suggests that this increase is generalizable to larger, similar samples. These findings support previous research on the role of the Big Five, dark personality and moral disengagement in shaping workplace behavior and provide valuable insights for managers and HR professionals seeking to mitigate CWB.

Keywords

• big five
• dark personality
• moral disengagement
• counterproductive behavior at work