When dark triad rules the moral: How empathy mediates idealism and relativism- a latent profile and pathway analysis in medical training

Personality factors, empathy and ethical perspectives are key factors in understanding medical students and healthcare professional's framework toward better patient care, medical communication and quality of life. One of these factors are Psychopathy, Machiavellianism, Narcissism and also Idealism and Relativism, however there is limited data evaluating these. The aim of this study was therefore to deeply investigate the links between Dark Traits and Ethics Positioning focusing on the mediating role of Empathy among medical students. Participants (N = 116, M age = 19,13 years, 70,68 % female) completed psychometric self-report measures on Dark Triad traits, Empathy and Ethics Positioning. Correlation analyses reported that only Psychopathy negatively affects and predicts Empathy and through it, Idealism. Latent Profile Analysis identified two psychological profiles: one characterized by low dark traits and high empathy and idealism, and another marked by high dark traits and low empathy and idealism. Psychopathy and Machiavellianism were the strongest predictors of profile membership. Overall, our findings suggest associations between Dark Triad and Empathy with important influence on Ethics Positioning. This highlights the potential importance of targeting Dark Triad, Empathy and Ethics Positioning in the educational and psychological realm of interventions among medical students and healthcare professionals aiming to improve patient care and medical communication.