Twenty-eight statements used in personality research to describe four overlapping socially aversive trait dimensions.
Method and research sourcesSD4 revises the three Dark Triad dimensions and adds everyday sadism. Its four seven-item scales estimate Machiavellianism, grandiose narcissism, subclinical psychopathy, and enjoyment of cruelty or others’ suffering.
Every response contributes 1–5 points to one seven-item scale. The seven responses for each trait are averaged into four values from 1.00 to 5.00. SD4 has no reverse-keyed items and we do not calculate an overall score.
The original SD4 paper, the authors’ questionnaire page, and a later item-response evaluation are listed below.
Delroy L. Paulhus, Erin E. Buckels, Paul D. Trapnell, Daniel N. Jones
Delroy L. Paulhus, University of British Columbia
Christoph Blötner, et al.
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SD4 adds everyday sadism, rewrites parts of the other scales, and uses seven items per trait without reverse scoring.
No. SD4 measures subclinical dimensions and is neither a diagnosis nor an assessment of violence risk.
Not as if they were the same test. The item sets differ; read each as a profile produced by that instrument.
