ABSTRACT
The importance of the dark triad in reaching a better understanding of counterproductive work behaviors (CWB) is highlighted by the distinction between the bright side and the dark side of personality. Distinguishing between the bright side and the dark side is a advance in applying personality to organizational behavior. The issue of dark triad personalities in the workplace is covered based on existing research on the topic and provides an updated contribution to this quite overlooked but provocative issue. An important and challenging issue is drawing the line between a “normal” and “abnormal” personality because in the personality disorder literature, the terms “clinical” and “sub-clinical” are often contrasted. Indeed, one of the stimulating explanations of CWB suggested in the literature, based on a clinical approach is that the dark triad personalities are a possible and important determinant of CWB. The clinical and psychopathological field has noted maladaptive individual differences as extreme variants of adaptive traits.
