Social activists are often the most effective when they combine high levels of empathy with the personality traits of a psychopath.
April 29, 2026
Original Paper
Dark Traits and an Open Heart: How the Dark Triad and Empathy Predict Distinct Pathways to Normative and Non-Normative Activism
SSRN · 6663103
The Takeaway
Individuals known as Dark Empaths show the highest levels of engagement in both peaceful and aggressive activism. These people possess high levels of narcissism and Machiavellianism along with a strong ability to feel what others feel. This combination allows them to navigate social causes with a predatory efficiency that pure altruists lack. Most people assume that social justice is driven by kindness and selflessness. This data suggests that social activism is a primary outlet for people with antagonistic and power-seeking personality traits.
From the abstract
Activism is often viewed as prosocial civic engagement, yet it may also provide opportunities for self-enhancement, moral grandstanding, and status signaling. Drawing on the Dark Ego Vehicle Principle and research on Dark Empathy, two studies examined whether Dark Triad traits and empathy predict support for normative and non-normative activism, and whether risk tolerance represents an additional pathway to engagement. In Study 1 (N = 396), psychopathy uniquely predicted non-normative activism,