When darkness overrides partisanship: Psychopathy and sadism predict support for violence on both sides of the Israel–Hamas conflict

Support for political violence is often shaped by ideological alignment, with individuals tending to endorse aggression by actors perceived as ideologically similar while rejecting violence by opposing actors. However, some individuals may show a broader tendency to endorse violence across opposing sides of a conflict. Two studies examined whether Dark Tetrad personality traits—narcissism, Machiavellianism, psychopathy, and sadism—are associated with support for violent actions by both Israel and Hamas ( N s = 257 and 470). Across both studies, support for violence by Israel and Hamas was negatively correlated, indicating actor-specific endorsement patterns. Psychopathy and sadism were consistently associated with support for violent actions by both actors, whereas narcissism and Machiavellianism showed weaker and less consistent associations. Interest in militarism and moral disengagement partially accounted for the associations between psychopathy and sadism and support for Israeli violent actions, but not for Hamas-related outcomes. Overall, the findings suggest that while ideological alignment structures actor-specific support for political violence, psychopathy and sadism are associated with a broader tendency to endorse violence across opposing actors. These results highlight the importance of considering both ideological and dispositional factors in understanding support for political violence.