Did you even notice all of the men that have these traits women love?

Marcus, I so missed you commenting on him. That is what was throwing me… you argued my points, but I couldn’t figure out why it was my bad. I re-read his comment, and you are completely correct. Thanks for the heads up.

Uhm, this was a reply to the guy above me, not you or your article ;). Solid article, sound advice.

Not exactly sure why you say I don’t have a good understanding. I don’t disagree with anything you wrote about the triad, however, nothing you write contradicts my own writing. As you stated, Psychopathy can be developed. After getting my ass handed to my a few times by the ex and other women, I really stopped feeling any sympathy for the delimmas they find themselves in. As for the “You have been warned…” Now that’s funny.

You don’t seem to have a good understanding of the dark triad. Psychopathy, for example, is something either acquired or something you’re born with (i.e. genetic). It makes it virtually IMPOSSIBLE to feel sympathy towards others. A great example for this would be the ice man (Kuklinski). It is quite likely that his psychopathy wasn’t the result of inherent psychopathy, but rather the result of extreme neglect and childhood abuse, i.e. a result of nurture, not nature (though it could be said that his “genetic potential” for psychopathy must’ve been somewhat already there). It is possible to emulate psychopathy in a positive way: become a stoic. This doesn’t rob you of your capability to feel certain emotions, especially guilt/remorse, sympathy or fear. But it can mitigate their effect on yourself. Stoicism is a very advanced philosophy and has many benefits for virtually anybody. Contrary to the classical interpretation it does not mean the total suppression of emotions, it means the mitigation of negative emotions, such as fear, hatred, remorse, anxiety, anger etc. Joy and happiness is something that the stoic embraces (though with the acknowledgement that everything is perishable), not something he avoids. Narcissism is often the result of childhood neglect, when the child did not receive its need attention for its needs in a timely and appropriate manner. Narcissism is a coping mechanism that is used by the narcissist to cover up his deeply felt emotions of inadequacy and insecurity. It’s a mask, in essence. A clinical narcissist will often be dependant on an entourage that feeds him validation for his perceived grandiosity. This is a feat that isn’t all too hard to accomplish: a narcissist will often exude an aura of confidence and charm that will attract people like a lantern will attract bugs. The way to emulate narcissism is to delude yourself into grandiose thinking patterns, this can be achieved through affirmations. However, not being a clinical narcissist, you will not lose your ability for reflection, thereby you’ll avoid overheating your ego, which will inevitably crush your sense of self once your sources of validation run dry. Machiavellianism is the art of deception and manipulation to further one’s own goals. Sun Tzu’s the art of war would be a place to start. A Machiavelli is, in essence, a strategist. Machiavellianism is inherently amoral. If you use your knowledge for immoral purposes or not, that is something that is up to you. Just be aware: Women are INHERENTLY Machiavellian and with the destruction of male-only spaces you’ll have a hard time avoiding them, so do not delude yourself into thinking that you could just opt out of the sexual market. Men will also resort to Machiavellian tactics, this is especially true for powerful individuals. If you ever want to amount to something more than the average joe, you’d best learn how to counter Machiavellian tactics at least. Dark Triad personalities have always existed and will always exist, it is unlikely that you’ll never come across a person that possess at least one of these traits to a high degree. It is in your best interest to study the behavior of Dark Triad persons, if not for your personal gain, then at least for your personal protection. You have been warned.

Where do you draw the line? And why should the rest of us put up with you?

I feel much of the mythology around the dark triad is true, and the individual worth is great. Yet it only has value if you live in an Individualist culture, where empathy is undervalued, and give up on the empathetic position, which is – in fact – the unspoken reason why civilization exists.

So learn to love yourself without tearing other people’s lives apart.

More importantly is your attitude towards it and yours is the right attitude.

I have such a nice balance, 60% evil, 40% good..