Harvey Weinstein will be analysed

Running Head: DARK TRIAD 0
Psychology Today
Dark Triad
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1. Image of Harvey Weinstein
In psychology, “dark triad” term is used in order to reflect particular personality trait
which includes psychopathy, Machiavellianism and narcissism; these personality traits are
considered as “dark” because they reflect malevolent qualities (Deutchman & Sullivan,
2018). The objective of this discussion is to select “Harvey Weinstein” to understand how he
reflects dark triad based on his actions. This discussion will include why Harvey Weinstein
was chosen and evaluate whether the person reflects one trait higher than compared to others.
In this discussion, how it would be like to interact with Harvey Weinstein will be analysed by
giving examples of how he acts, thinks, speaks, and thinks.
Harvey Weinstein
Source: (BBC, 2020).
2. Why Harvey Weinstein was chosen
Harvey Weinstein is an American film producer and a convicted sex offender; he was
found guilty of engaging in different inappropriate sexual activities without the consent of
other parties. In 2017, many allegations regarding sexual harassment were published against
Harvey Weinstein in the New York Times. It was reported that he misused his power to force
himself on women while promising them to help them advance their career if they agreed to
give him sexual favours. Harvey Weinstein issued a public apology but he disputed many of
the allegations as well. After the allegations, investigation was conducted against Harvey
Weinstein and many lawsuits were filled where the court found him guilty and he has been
sentenced for 23 years in prison (Levenson, Valle, & Moghe, 2020). The Harvey Weinstein

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sexual assault scandal shake the entire film industry and it also left many people wonder who
his actions were never reported. Many psychologists argue that actions of Harvey Weinstein
can be understood by the application of ‘dark triad’ concept since he reflected the traits of
psychopathy, Machiavellianism and narcissism. Based on these incidents, Harvey Weinstein
is selected in this discussion. Harvey Weinstein fits the description of dark triad personality
because during his interviews and trial, the way in which he presented his arguments shows
that he is a narcissistic psychopath and he did not considered the basic rights or feelings of
other individuals. His relationship with his co-workers was not positive and they reported
incidents where he abused his power or misuse them to get what he wants. Similarly, his
relationship with women was also immoral since he misused his power to pressure them in
order to sexually abuse them (Thompson, 2017). These examples support the claim that
Harvey Weinstein fits the personality of dark triad.
3. Higher on one trait
The actions of Harvey Weinstein shows that psychopathy is one trait that is higher
than compared to other two traits because he shows lack of empathy, guilty or remorse
towards his victims. He disputed all the claims even than there were enough of evidences that
he was shown guilty. He was impulsive and he misused his powers to gain unfair advantage
over others (Hendriksen, 2017). The actions of Harvey Weinstein shows that he was insecure
about his body and in many areas, he was ashamed of his actions which show lack of
narcissism. Based on these factors, it can be concluded that psychopathy is one trait that is
higher than compared to other two traits in the case of Harvey Weinstein.
4. Interaction with Harvey Weinstein
People who deal with Harvey Weinstein labelled him as narcissistic and his behaviour
was affected by the use of drugs and alcohol. He was coercive and manipulative towards
others and he disregards their emotions by showing traits such as self-important, bully,
abusive, arrogant, insecure, and others (Blanchard, 2019). In work, he is likely to act as a
bully who pressurise his subordinates to do their task and threatens them based on his power
to take unfair advantage of them. When it comes to friends, he is likely to use them to
increase his powers rather than building meaningful relationships with them due to his selfish
nature. In romantic relationships, Harvey Weinstein used his position to force sexual abuse
on his partners and he considered them as means to an end rather than understanding their
emotional state and feelings (Persaud & Bruggen, 2017). These behaviours are reflected by

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his engagement with female co-workers since he only used them as trophies to show off in
the public and he did not take into consideration their feelings. These behaviours show that
Harvey Weinstein reflects dark triad personality through his actions.

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References
BBC. (2020, February 24). Harvey Weinstein timeline: How the scandal unfolded. Retrieved
from BBC: https://www.bbc.com/news/entertainment-arts-41594672
Blanchard, S. (2019, October 21). Women really DO love a bad boy: Men with psychopathic
traits are attractive because they’re confident and ‘know the right things to say’,
study claims. Retrieved from Daily Mail:
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-7596535/Men-psychopathic-traits-
attractive-know-right-things-say.html
Deutchman, P., & Sullivan, J. (2018). The Dark Triad and framing effects predict selfish
behavior in a one-shot Prisoner’s Dilemma. PLOS ONE, 13(9), e0203891.
Hendriksen, E. (2017, November 9). Four Psychological Traits of Sexual Harassers.
Retrieved from Psychology Today: https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/how-
be-yourself/201711/four-psychological-traits-sexual-harassers
Levenson, E., Valle, L., & Moghe, S. (2020, March 11). Harvey Weinstein sentenced to 23
years in prison after addressing his accusers in court. Retrieved from CNN:
https://edition.cnn.com/2020/03/11/us/harvey-weinstein-sentence/index.html
Persaud, R., & Bruggen, P. (2017, October 23). Opinion: The ‘dark triad’ of traits that sex
abusers often share. Retrieved from Market Watch:
https://www.marketwatch.com/story/the-dark-triad-of-traits-that-sex-abusers-often-
share-2017-10-23
Thompson, K. (2017, December 2). #MeToo. Retrieved from Mommy Mentor: https://the-
mommy-mentor.com/sexual-harassment-dark-triad/