Finding Yourself within a Group: The Dark Triad, Peer Social Status, and Interpersonal Values among Adolescents

This study examined adolescents’ sociometric networks within school classes to explore the relationship between Dark Triad traits and peer social status. While previous research mainly focused on high peer social status (likeability, popularity), we adopted a broader framework encompassing the opposite end of the spectrum – dislikeability and unpopularity. Additionally, we investigated whether interpersonal values explain this relationship. The findings demonstrated that all Machiavellianism and psychopathy were positively correlated with dislikeability, mediated by the value of distance, whereas no significant negative association with likeability was observed. Uniquely, narcissism was positively related to popularity, with no mediating factors identified, and negatively associated with unpopularity, with this relationship mediated by dominance value. Given that values affecting peer social status are more malleable than traits, they may serve as promising targets for early intervention aimed at preventing social rejection and helping adolescents develop more adaptive strategies to gain peer attention and acceptance.Keywords:Dark Triad, popularity, unpopularity, likeability, dislikeability, interpersonal values, sociometric network