Students who cheat in school also show Dark Triad traits, study shows

Research from the American Psychological Association indicates that students who cheat in high school are more likely to show symptoms of subclinical psychopathy.

Individuals who have personality disorder show signs of manipulative, callous and unpredictable behavior as well as antisocial tendencies.

Those participants in the study who admitted to cheating ranked high in personality tests of cyncism, narcissism and psychopathy or - more commonly known as the Dark Triad. The University of British Columbia study shows that psychopathy had the strongest presence in kids who cheat.

The pressure to attain high grades seems to "activate dishonesty" in these individuals, one researcher said. Analysts found that many students said they felt that cheating was a suitable tactic to reaching their goals and believed that they were not morally inhibited. Researchers suggest that personality profiling can help predict cheating.

Approximately 14 percent of students in the study who plagiarized also showed symptoms of at least one characteristic of the Dark Triad.

After-school activities and programs for troubled youth help children become more conscientious and agreeable. Studies have shown that children who exhibit these traits are less likely to cheat.