The study of this week, shows shocking discoveries about the dark triad traits in persons having dark personalities. Psychopathy, Machiavellianism and narcissism are the three Personality traits that form the Dark Triad that provide them romantic satisfaction. These findings were published in the Journal of Personality , a new insight into what it is like to be involved with people having these dark personality characteristics.
Understanding the Dark Personalities
The dark triad encompasses three antagonistic personality traits:
- Psychopathy: Impulsivity, antagonism, sensation seeking and low empathy.
- Machiavellianism: Self-interest, manipulation and exploitation of others.
- Narcissism: Grandiosity, entitlement and lack of empathy.
In particular, these traits negatively affect various aspects of life such as romantic satisfaction. Exploitative behaviors and a lack of commitment are exhibited by individuals with psychopathy for instance. Machiavellians tend to have emotionally detached relationships while narcissists exhibit little empathy and use others.
Study Objectives and Methodology
This research sought to examine effects from both partners’ points of view on relationship outcomes caused by dark triad traits. They also investigated whether those who share similar dark traits are more satisfied in their relationships and analyzed how these traits interact using sophisticated statistical approaches.
Conducted under the leadership of Professor Igor Kardum on 205 heterosexual couples between 18 – 56 years old who had been together for at least one year; different measures were applied to assess their Dark Triad Traits as well as relationship satisfaction among them.
Key Findings
There were several important discoveries made during this study:
- Psychopathy: Men’s satisfaction within relationships was lower when their partners demonstrated higher levels of psychopathy than themselves. Women’s psychopathy consistently led to men’s lower satisfaction whether self-reported or partner-reported.
- Machiavellianism: High levels of self-reported and partner-reported Machiavellianism were associated with less satisfaction in both men and women.
- Narcissism: Dissimilarity in narcissism was associated with lower satisfaction for both partners. However, some findings were inconsistent, as men’s partner-reported narcissism unexpectedly linked to higher satisfaction for women, although this effect weakened at higher levels of narcissism.
Implications and Conclusion
The researchers concluded that people should generally avoid partners who have high dark triad traits. On the other hand, those who themselves possess these traits may find more fulfillment in their relationships if they are also dark like them. The researchers were surprised to find that the dark triad traits of women had a more substantial effect on relationship satisfaction than did those of men.
The cross-sectional design used by the study limits causal interpretations despite its insights. Further research using longitudinal designs would deepen our understanding about how Dark Triad traits impact relationship satisfaction over time.
Future Directions
To enhance generalizability, future studies need to involve participants who are undergoing couples therapy or considering divorce according to Professor Kardum. Furthermore, investigating how children from such parents exhibit healthier relationship dynamics can be considered when examining the influence of dark triad traits on offspring.
Igor Kardum, Jasna Hudek-Knezevic Nermina Mehic, & Katarina Banov Trošelj authored a paper called “The Dark Triad Traits and Relationship Satisfaction: Dyadic Response Surface Analysis.”
Understanding the role played by dark personality traits in relationships helps individuals make more informed decisions about their romantic life leading to richer and more stable partnerships.
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