Publication details
The dark core and the dual process of prejudice : When self-control and emotional dysregulation serve antagonistic ends
| Authors | |
|---|---|
| Year of publication | 2026 |
| Type | Article in Periodical |
| Magazine / Source | PERSONALITY AND INDIVIDUAL DIFFERENCES |
| MU Faculty or unit | |
| Citation | |
| web | https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0191886926000516 |
| Doi | https://doi.org/10.1016/j.paid.2026.113688 |
| Keywords | Self-control; Emotion regulation; Dual process model of prejudice; D factor; Aversive Traits; Prejudice |
| Attached files | |
| Description | This study examined how dispositional antagonism relates to authoritarian ideologies and self-regulatory processes, testing whether Right-Wing Authoritarianism (RWA) and Social Dominance Orientation (SDO) mediate the relationship between the Dark Factor of Personality (D factor) and both self-control and emotion regulation. A total of 498 Brazilian adults (Mage = 33.43, SD = 9.17) completed measures of dark traits, RWA, SDO, self-control, and emotional dysregulation. Correlations indicated that the D factor was positively associated with RWA and emotion dysregulation and weakly associated with self-control, whereas SDO showed negligible relations with both. In a path model, RWA fully mediated the relation between the D factor and self-control; no indirect effects via SDO emerged for either outcome. Emotion dysregulation was inversely related to self-control even after accounting for the D factor, RWA, and SDO, suggesting a relatively independent regulatory pathway. Facet-level patterns further suggested that self-control may function not only as a protective capacity but also as a strategic resource in aversive personality expression. These findings indicate that antagonistic dispositions may manifest ideologically through authoritarian rigidity and punitive attitudes, rather than hierarchical dominance. The results also highlight that emotion regulation and self-control function as distinct yet interacting domains within ideological expression. |