Overview of the impact of psychopathy and other problematic personality constructs in the workplace

This chapter recognises a large body of work on negative personality traits and occupational outcomes, especially what is commonly referred to as counterproductive work behaviour, i.e. behaviour that is not in line with the organisational goals and which potentially causes harm to the organisation and to other individuals within it. The chapter first describes the characteristics commonly associated with each of the dark triad personalities and then discusses empirical findings linking these to negative workplace outcomes. Finally, the chapter considers a range of contextual and other personality variables that may moderate or mediate the relationship between the dark triad and workplace outcomes.