HUBUNGAN KEPRIBADIAN DARK TRIAD DENGAN REGULASI EMOSI PADA TERDAKWA

Emotional regulation issues often emerge during courtroom proceedings, especially
when defendants struggle to manage their emotions under pressure from judges or prosecutors.
One factor believed to influence this difficulty is personality, particularly known as the Dark
Triad, which consists of Machiavellianism, narcissism, and psychopathy. These traits were
selected as the independent variable due to their association with manipulation, egoism, and
low empathy—factors that may impact how individuals regulate their emotions. This study
aimed to examine the relationship between Dark Triad personality traits and emotion
regulation among 120 male defendants at the Palangka Raya Detention Center, using a
quantitative correlational approach and convenience sampling technique. Data were collected
using the Short Dark Triad Scale (SD3) and the Emotion Regulation Questionnaire (ERQ), and
analyzed using Spearman’s correlation test. Results indicated a weak but significant positive
relationship between Machiavellianism and emotion regulation (r = 0.295; p < 0.01), as well
as between narcissism and emotion regulation (r = 0.194; p < 0.05). Meanwhile, psychopathy
showed no significant relationship (r = -0.049; p > 0.05), and the hypothesis for this variable
was rejected. This study contributes to the field of legal psychology by highlighting the role of
personality traits in understanding how defendants manage their emotional responses during
legal proceedings.