The Dunning-Kruger Effect is a psychological phenomenon that leads individuals to make incorrect assessments about their knowledge and skills. This effect, described by Kruger and Dunning (1999), causes individuals, especially those with low knowledge or skill levels, to overestimate their own competence. The Dark Triad personality traits, on the other hand, are defined as a psychological structure consisting of Machiavellianism, narcissism and psychopathy.

Individuals with Dark Triad personality traits may not realize their own inadequacies. Traits such as Machiavellianism, narcissism and psychopathy can disrupt the self-evaluation processes of individuals and cause them to create an unrealistic perception of self. This, combined with the Dunning-Kruger Effect, can lead individuals to rate their poor performance as high performance.