Theory of Mind, Hostile Attribution Bias, and Dark Personality Traits in a Sample of Romanian Incarcerated Offenders

Understanding the psychological mechanisms underlying offending behavior is central to forensic assessment and intervention. The present study examined the interplay between theory of mind, hostile attribution bias, and dark personality in incarcerated offenders across offense types, compared to community controls, and explored whether these three constructs represent independent mechanisms or a unified system. A sample of 171 male participants was divided into four groups (violent, homicide, sexual offenders, and community controls). Theory of mind was assessed using a behavioral task, while hostile attribution bias and dark personality were assessed using self-report measures, controlling for IQ and impression management. All offender groups scored significantly higher than controls on dark personality, with no differences between offender groups. Dark personality was negatively associated with theory of mind, and an exploratory regression model confirmed that it predicted lower mentalizing performance. No significant differences emerged on theory of mind, while the control group scored unexpectedly higher on hostile attribution bias. Dark personality was the most consistent marker of offending, and the constructs did not appear to form a unified system. These findings may inform forensic assessment while highlighting the importance of examining socio-cognitive and personality constructs together. Further research using more diverse samples and behavioral measures is needed.