Personality in relationship
How traits such as narcissism and antagonism appear in interpersonal behavior, social preference, and relationship dynamics.
Research
I study personality as it unfolds between people and across moments—using careful measurement to understand patterns without reducing the person.
Research background
Patterns within us, and dynamics between us.
My work asks how personality shapes what happens between people—and how those interactions, in turn, shape behavior.
At Purdue University, I studied personality and psychopathology with an emphasis on narcissism, aggression, interpersonal functioning, and moment-to-moment behavior. My dissertation used intensive longitudinal assessment to examine how narcissistic traits relate to interpersonal behavior and aggression in daily life.
Across collaborative projects, I have conducted meta-analyses, developed and validated psychological measures, examined personality structure across cultural contexts, and contributed to open-science and methodological research. My clinical and academic work at Stanford broadened those questions toward mood and anxiety, culturally responsive care, and the emerging relationship among patients, therapists, and generative AI.
Research themes
Three recurring lines of inquiry, connected by a concern for context and measurement.
Aggression across levels
How aggression relates to personality across studies, people, and moments—from large meta-analyses to daily-life assessment.
Measurement that earns trust
How psychological constructs are structured, assessed, and studied transparently across samples and cultural contexts.
Meta-analysisExperience samplingIntensive longitudinal dataPsychometricsMultilevel modelingInterpersonal circumplexOpen science
Publications
Peer-reviewed publications and chapters listed in my 2026 CV. DOI links are included where they appear in the source record.
Packer West, M., Du, T.V., Van Til, K., Miller, J.D., & Lynam, D.R. The relation between psychopathy and sexual aggression: A meta-analysis. Journal of Personality, 94, 487–506.
—Phillips, N.L., Du, T.V., Miller, J.D., & Lynam, D.R. Reactive and Proactive Aggression in Daily Life: An Exploratory Experience-Sampling Method Study. Aggressive Behavior, 51.
↗Van Til, K., Phillips, N.L., Du, T.V., Miller, J.D., & Lynam, D.R. Open Science Training in APA-accredited Clinical Psychology Programs: A Registered Report. Clinical Psychological Science.
↗Collison, K.L., Lynam, D.R., Du, T.V., & South, S.C. Testing a Multidimensional Factor Structure of the Self-Control Scale. Assessment.
↗Du, T.V., Rose, L., Miller, J.D., & Lynam, D.R. Mapping the dark factor (D) and agreeableness-antagonism (A-A) on the interpersonal circumplex. Collabra, 10.
↗Du, T.V., Lane, S.P., Miller, J.D., & Lynam, D.R. Momentary assessment of the relation between narcissistic traits, interpersonal behaviors, and aggression. Journal of Personality, 92, 405–420.
—Lynam, D.R., Van Til, K., Ghosh, A., Du, V., & Miller, J.D. Methodological Problems in Dark Triad Research and their Solutions. In K. Papageorgiou (Ed.), Research Handbook on the Dark Triad. Edward Elgar.
—Thompson, A., Du, T.V., & Ryu, D. Mood and Anxiety Disorders. In L.W. Roberts (Ed.), Student mental health: A guide for psychiatrists, psychologists, and leaders serving in higher education. American Psychiatric Publishing.
—Liu, Y., Hopwood, C.J., Du, T.V., Lynam, D.R., Miller, J.D., Zhou, B., & Yang, B. Examining the structure of narcissism and its relationship with aggression in Chinese community and offender samples. European Journal of Personality.
—Liu, Y., Zhao, L., Miller, J.D., Lynam, D.R., Du, T.V., Zhou, B., … & Hopwood, C.J. Validation and cross-sample consistency of the Chinese Five-Factor Narcissism Inventory (FFNI) in community and offender samples. Psychological Assessment.
—Sleep, C.E., Phillips, N.L., Du, T.V., Vize, C., Lynam, D.R., & Miller, J.D. Examining the structure of personality dysfunction. Personality Disorders: Theory, Research, and Treatment, 15, 110–121.
—Du, T.V., Miller, J.D., & Lynam, D.R. The relation between narcissism and aggression: A meta-analysis. Journal of Personality, 90, 574–594.
—Du, T.V., Thomas, K.M., Miller, J.D., & Lynam, D.R. Differentiations in Interpersonal Functioning Across Narcissism Dimensions. Journal of Personality Disorders, 36, 455–475.
—Du, T.V., Collison, K.L., Vize, C., Miller, J.D., & Lynam, D.R. Development and validation of the super-short form of the Five Factor Machiavellianism Inventory (FFMI-SSF). Journal of Personality Assessment, 103, 732–739.
↗Du, T.V., Thomas, K.M., & Lynam, D.R. An Interpersonal Approach to Social Preference: Examining Patterns and Influences of Liking and Being Bothered by Interpersonal Behaviors of Others. Journal of Personality Disorders, 35, 708–729.
—Du, T.V., Yardley, A.E., & Thomas, K.M. Mapping Big Five Personality Traits Within and Across Domains of Interpersonal Functioning. Assessment, 28, 1358–1375.
—Work in progress
Manuscripts listed as in preparation in my 2026 CV. Titles and status may evolve as the work develops.
Luo, X., & Du, T.V. Navigating the Triadic Relationship between Patient, Therapist, and Generative Artificial Intelligence in Psychotherapy.
Van Til, K., Du, T.V., Miller, J.D., & Lynam, D.R. Deconstructing the Dark Triad Using Personality Domains: A Meta-Analysis.
Lane, S.P., Napolitano, S.C., Du, T.V., … & Hennes, E.P. Meta-analytic Findings on Alcohol Dependence Treatment: A Quantitative Approach.
Interested in collaborating?
I welcome conversations across personality science, clinical psychology, research methods, and human-centered AI.