Maksimenko, A.A.
National Research University Higher School of Economics
Zagladina, A.R.
National Research University Higher School of Economics
Abstract
Background. The relevance of this study is driven by the need for a deeper understanding of the psychological mechanisms mediating the relationship between dispositional greed and the propensity for corrupt behaviour, as well as by the necessity to adapt the Dispositional Greed Scale for use with a Russian sample.
Objective. The aim of this study is to adapt the Dispositional Greed Scale to a Russian sample, assess its psychometric properties, and empirically explore the associations between dispositional greed, selected personality traits, and corruption awareness, with the goal of identifying the psychological mechanisms that mediate the relationship between greed and corrupt behaviour.
Sample. The study involved 456 participants (M = 39.3), with the sample balanced by age, gender, and region of residence.
Methods. The online survey employed the following instruments: the Dispositional Greed Scale (Seuntjens et al., 2015), questionnaires assessing Dark Triad traits, psychological entitlement, moral disengagement, and the Cook–Medley Hostility Scale.
Results. The obtained results confirmed the one-factor structure of the scale, high internal consistency (Cronbach’s α = .803; McDonald’s ω = .810), and satisfactory convergent validity, establishing it as a suitable tool for further psychological research in a Russian-speaking context. The results showed that dispositional greed was positively correlated with Machiavellianism, psychopathy, psychological entitlement, moral disengagement, as well as with cynicism, aggression, and hostility. Significant differences were found by gender, with women exhibiting higher levels of dispositional greed, and by religiosity, with less religious participants showing greater greed.
Conclusions. These findings suggest that greed is a psychologically complex and ethically significant phenomenon, associated with pronounced egocentric attitudes and a tendency toward manipulative behaviour. At the same time, the present study did not reveal a direct statistically significant association between dispositional greed and corruption awareness, which may point to an indirect, mediated influence of greed on corrupt attitudes and calls for further investigation. The conclusions highlight the role of moral and social moderators in limiting the expression of greed in destructive forms and support the need for an interdisciplinary approach to its study.
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To cite this article:
Maksimenko, A.A., Zagladina, A.R..
Greed and Awareness of Corruption: the Role of Dark Personality Traits and Adaptation of the Dispositional Greed Scale in the Russian Sample. // National Psychological Journal
2026. 4. Pages110–127. doi: 10.11621/npj.2026.0408
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