We are investigating relations between basic personality traits, “dark side” of personality (Narcissism, Psychopathy, Machiavelianism, Sadism) and socially relevant phenomena, like criminal recidivism. Numerous studies show that personality traits are predicting criminal and antisocial behaviour (Međedović, 2009; Međedović, Kujačić, & Knežević, 2012). Studies show that low Agreeableness and low Conscientiousness (Miller & Lynam, 2001), accompanied with low Honesty and low Emotionality (Međedović, 2016), are crucial personality traits related to criminal behaviour. However, both from the conceptual, and the practical viewpoint, i.e., prediction of criminal behaviour and criminal recidivism, it is important to investigate the importance of other personal dispositions closely related to amoral and antisocial behaviour. Some of these dispositions are Amoralism (Knežević, 2003), Psychopathy (Međedović, Petrović, Kujačić, Želeskov-Đorić, & Savić, 2015), „dark triad“ (Paulhus & Williams, 2002), and „dark tetrad“ (Međedović & Petrović, 2016).

This research line is also aimed to explore constructs important for understanding ideologically motivated violence, e.g., moral foundations (Međedović & Petrović, 2016), militant extremism (Saucier, Akers, Miller, Knežević, & Stankov, 2009; Stankov, Saucier, & Knežević, 2010), and ethos of conflict (Međedović & Petrović 2016). Recent studies are focused on the role of Sadism, personality trait extending the space of dark personality traits, in the prediction of the most malignant forms of amoral behaviour (Knežević, 2003; Međedović, in press).

In addition, we are investigating implicit cognition and processes linked to criminal behaviour and criminal recidivism (Međedović, 20015). Studies are conducted on the population of convicts, and on general population. Studies conducted on the samples from general population enable investigation of the potential adaptive values of these traits (Kujačić, Međedović, & Knežević, 2015).



Pfattheicher, S., Lazarevic, Lj. B., Nielsen, Y.A., Westgate, E.C., Krstic, K. & Schindler, S. (2022). I enjoy hurting my classmates: On the relation of boredom and sadism in schools. Manuscript submitted for publication

Lukić, P., & Živanović, M. (2021). Shedding light on the Light Triad: Further evidence on structural, construct, and predictive validity of the Light Triad. Personality and Individual Differences, 178(3):110876. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.paid.2021.110876
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Lazarevic, Lj. B., Knezevic, G. & Bosnjak, M. (2021). Does the disposition towards psychotic-like experiences incrementally predict grandiose narcissism? Representative evidence from Germany. Current Psychology. doi: 10.1007/s12144-021-02112-9

Pfattheicher, S., Lazarević, Lj. B., Westgate, E. C., & Schindler, S. (2021). On the relation between boredom and sadistic aggression. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 121(3), 573–600.https://doi.org/10.1037/pspi0000335[pdf]

Pfattheicher, S., Keller, J., & Knezevic, G. (2019). Destroying things for pleasure: On the relation of sadism and vandalism. Personality and Individual Differences140, 52-56. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.paid.2018.03.049 [pdf]

Pajević, M., Vukosavljević-Gvozden, T., Stevanović, N., & Neumann, C. S. (2018). The relationship between the Dark Tetrad and a two-dimensional view of empathy. Personality and Individual Differences, 123: 125-130. PDF

Peruničić Mladenović, I. & Knežević, G. (2018). Faking amoralism: An ability elusive to both measures of substance and style. Personality and Individual Differences, 120, 95-101. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.paid.2017.08.027 [html]

Međedović, J. & Knežević, G. (2018). Dark and Peculiar – The Key Features of Militant Extremist Thinking Pattern? Journal of Individual Differences. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1027/1614-0001/a000280. [pdf]

Međedović, J. (2017). The profile of a criminal offender depicted by HEXACO personality traits. Personality and Individual Differences, 107, 159-163. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.paid.2016.11.015 [pdf]

Pajevic, M., Batinic, B., & Stevanovic, N. (2017). Subtypes of homicide offenders based on psychopathic traits. International journal of law and psychiatry, 55, 45-53.

Bulut, T. (2017). The concept of sadism in the current empirical literature. The Journal of the Institute of Criminological and Sociological Research, 36, 23-41. [pdf]

Međedović, J., & Bulut, T. (2017). Expanding the nomological network of Dark Tetrad: the case of cynicism, aggressive humor and attitudes toward immigrants. The Journal of the Institute of Criminological and Sociological Research, 36(3), 7-19. [pdf]

Međedović, J. (2017). Aberrations in emotional processing of violence-dependent stimuli are the core features of sadism. Motivation and Emotion. doi:10.1007/s11031-016-9596-0 [pdf]

Međedović, J. (2017). Can HEXACO-PI-R adequately represent the four-factor model of psychopathy?. Psychological Topics26, 557-576. [pdf]

Međedović, J., Petrović, B., Želeskov-Đorić, J., & Savić, M. (2017). Interpersonal and Affective Psychopathy Traits Can Enhance Human Fitness. Evolutionary Psychological Science, 1-10. doi:10.1007/s40806-017-0097-5 [pdf]

Međedović, J., & Petrović, B. (2016). The militant extremist mind-set as a conservative ideology mediated by ethos of conflict. Peace and Conflict: Journal of Peace Psychology, 22(4), 404-408. [pdf]

Međedović, J. (2016). Can family risk-factors moderate the link between psychopathy and Life-History Strategy? Psihološka istraživanja, 19(1), 23-34. [pdf]

Međedović, J., & Petrović, B. (2016). Can there be an immoral morality?: Dark personality traits as predictors of Moral foundations. Psihologija, 49(2), 185-197. [pdf]

Međedović, J. ( 2015). Nomološka mreža psihopatije. Beograd: Institut za kriminološka i sociološka istraživanja.

Međedović, J., & Petrović, B. (2015). The Dark Tetrad: Structural properties, location in the personality space and predictive abilities. Journal of individual differences, 36(4), 228-236. [pdf]

Kujačić, D., Međedović, J., & Knežević, G. (2015). The relations between personality traits and psychopathy as measured by ratings and self-report. Psihologija, 48, 45-59. [pdf]

Međedović, J., Petrović, B., Kujačić, D., Želeskov-Đorić, J., & Savić, M. (2015). What is the optimal number of traits to describe psychopathy? Applied Psychology, 8(2), 109-130. [pdf]

Vukosavljević-Gvozden, T., Dražić, R., Tenjović, L. (2014). Počinioci krađa, počinioci razbojništava i neosuđivana populacija: razlike u amoralnosti i socioekonomskim karakteristikama. Psihološka istraživanja, 17 (2), 105-120. PDF

Stankov, L., Higgins, D., Saucier, G., & Knežević, G. (2012). Contemporary Militant Extremism: A Linguistic Approach to Scale Development. In G. J. Boyle, G. Matthews & D. H. Saklofske (Eds.). The Sage handbook of personality theory and assessment: Vol. 4 applied psychological assessment (pp. 41-68).Los Angeles, United States: Sage Publications. (ISBN: 9780761944096). http://www.sagepub.com/refbooks/Book226289

Međedović J., Kujačić D. & Knežević G. (2012). Ličnosne dispozicije ka kriminalnom recidivu u uzorku institucionalizovanih adolescenata (Personality dispositions to criminal recidivism in the sample of incarcerated adolescents). Zbornik Instituta za kriminološka i sociološka istraživanja, 31, 7-24. [pdf]

Međedović J., Kujačić D. & Knežević G. (2012). Personality-related determinants of criminal recidivism, Psihologija, 45, (3), 277-294. doi:10.2298/PSI1203277M [pdf]

Stankov, L. Saucier, G & Knežević, G. (2011). Militant Extremist Mindset. In. S. Boag & N. Tiliopoulos (Eds.), Personality & Individual Differences: Theory, assessment, & application (pp.131-140). New York: Nova Science Pubs. (ISBN: 978-1-61122-070-4). [pdf]

Stankov, L., Saucier, G. & Knežević, G. (2010). Militant Extremist Mind-Set: Proviolence, Vile World, and Divine Power. Psychological Assessment, 22, 70-86. [pdf]

Stankov, L., Higgins, D, Saucier, G. & Knežević, G. (2010). Contemporary Militant Extremism: A Linguistic Approach to Scale Development. Psychological Assessment, 22, 246-258. [html]

Saucier, G., Akers, L. G., Miller, S. S., Knezevic, G. & Stankov, L. (2009). Patterns of thinking in militant extremism. Perspectives on Psychological Science, 4, 256-271. [pdf]

Knežević, G. (2003). Koreni amoralnosti (Roots of amorality). Centar za primenjenu psihologiju, IKSI, Institut za psihologiju: Beograd.

Knežević G., Momirović, K., Radovanović, D., Radović, B. (2003). Application of neural networks in the detection of delinquents involved in organized criminal activity. In K. Momirović, D. Popović (Eds.) Konstrukcija i primena taksonomskih neuronskih mreža (pp. 147-158). Univerzitet u Prištini: Leposavić (ISBN 86-82329-21-2)

Radović, B., Knežević G. (1997): Amoralnost postoji, i zasad, dobro napreduje (Amorality exists and, up to now, is going well). In: K. Momirović (Ed.): Provera egzistencije psiholoških konstrukata. Institut za psihologiju, laboratorija za eksperimentalnu psihologiju, Beograd.

Wolf, B., Knežević, G., Radovanović, D. (1995): Tipovi kriminalaca određeni na osnovu modaliteta otkrivenog i neotkrivenog kriminalnog ponašanja (Types of criminals defined on the modalities of detected and non-detected criminal behaviour). In S. Bogosavljević (Ed.): Analiza grupisanja 1. Savezni zavod za statistiku, Beograd.

Kron, L., Knežević, G., Vučinić, B. (1995): Tipovi ličnosti »normalnih« ubica (Personality types among »normal« homicides). In D. Radovanović (Ed.): Psihologija kriminala 1. IKSI, Centar za primenjenu psihologiju.