| The Relationship between Dark Triad Personality Traits and Self-Compassion in Different Positions of Basketball Players |
| Paper ID : 1661-SPORTCONGRESS |
| Authors |
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Negin Heidari Vincheh, Hassan Gharayagh Zandi *, Alireza Rostami Zaveleh Department of Sport Psychology, Faculty of Sport Sciences and Health, University of Tehran |
| Abstract |
| Introduction: The Dark Triad personality traits (Machiavellianism, narcissism, and psychopathy) and self-compassion have been extensively studied in athletes; however, their interplay within team sports remains underexplored, particularly in relation to players’ positional roles. This study investigated the relationship between these traits and self-compassion among basketball players, stratified by court position. Methods: The research was descriptive-correlational. The statistical population consisted of basketball players in Iran in 2025. A total of 203 male and female athletes (aged 18–30) were randomly sampled. Participants completed the Dark Triad Dirty Dozen (Jonason & Webster, 2010) and Self-Compassion Scale–Short Form (Raes et al., 2011). Data were analyzed using Spearman correlation. Results: The results showed moderate negative and significant relationships between self-compassion and all Dark Triad traits (p < 0.05). Among point guards moderate negative and significant relationships were found with all traits (p < 0.05). For shooting guards, weak and non-significant relationships were observed (p > 0.05). Small forwards showed moderate negative and significant relationships with narcissism and psychopathy (p < 0.05). Power forwards showed a moderate negative correlation while centers showed a strong negative correlation with narcissism (p < 0.05). Conclusion: This study showed that self-compassion is negatively associated with Dark Triad traits among basketball players, with the relationship varying by court position. Point guards demonstrated significant negative correlations with all traits, whereas shooting guards showed no meaningful associations. Understanding the relationship between Dark Triad personality traits and self-compassion provides a broader perspective on personality dynamics in team sports and enhances our ability to interpret athletes’ psychological profiles. |
| Keywords |
| Basketball player, Dark triad personality traits, Self-compassion |
| Status: Abstract Accepted (Poster Presentation) |
