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The light side of darkness?

The dark triad of personality as positive and negative predictors of L2 language learning

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  10 February 2025

Faramarz Ebn-Abbasi Open the ORCID record for Faramarz Ebn-Abbasi [Opens in a new window] ,
Nazila Fattahi Open the ORCID record for Nazila Fattahi [Opens in a new window] ,
Jean-Marc Dewaele Open the ORCID record for Jean-Marc Dewaele [Opens in a new window]  and
Elouise Botes
Faramarz Ebn-Abbasi
Affiliation:
Department of Education and Social Work, University of Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand
Nazila Fattahi
Affiliation:
Department of Education and Social Work, University of Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand
Jean-Marc Dewaele
Affiliation:
Birkbeck, University of London, London, United Kingdom
Elouise Botes*
Affiliation:
University of Luxembourg, Institute for Cognitive Science and Assessment, University of Luxembourg, Esch-sur-Alzette, Luxembourg Luxembourg Center for Educational Testing, University of Luxembourg, Esch-sur-Alzette, Luxembourg
*
Corresponding author: Elouise Botes; Email: [email protected]
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Abstract

The duality of human nature, consisting of positive and negative personality traits, has intrigued scholars in different fields. Despite an overwhelming dominance of research on positive characteristics, particularly in the field of education, negative traits, such as those constituting the Dark Triad (DT; i.e., Psychopathy, Narcissism, and Machiavellianism) have been confirmed to be associated with both positive and detrimental outcomes. This paper aims to investigate the potential influence of these aversive traits on second language (L2) learning outcomes—L2 learning motivation, engagement, achievement, and willingness to communicate. L2 learners from a single country (n = 431) participated in this study. Multiple structural equation models (SEMs) were run to analyze the links and the directionality of significant effects. Overall, among the undesirable DT traits, Psychopathy and Narcissism were both positive and negative predictors of the L2 outcomes, while Machiavellianism unexpectedly emerged solely as a positive predictor. The intricacy of the results underscores the vague nature of the effects, pinpointing the need for more caution while examining negative personality traits in education and the L2 contexts. Based on the results of this study, implications and directions for future research on DT and language learning are suggested.

Keywords

Dark TriadL2 achievementL2 engagementL2 learning motivationL2 willingness to communicate
Type
Research Article
Information
Studies in Second Language Acquisition , First View , pp. 1 - 25
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© The Author(s), 2025. Published by Cambridge University Press

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