Conflict in Love: An Examination of the Role of Dark Triad Traits in Romantic Relationships among Women

Abstract

The present study examined how the personality dimensions of the Dark Triad (i.e., Machiavellianism, narcissism, and psychopathy) predict infidelity intentions and jealousy and whether these variables predict conflict tactics used in relationships. Adult women (N = 567, 18–73 years old, Mage = 31.91; SD = 10.29) completed self-report scales assessing the Dark Triad traits, jealousy (i.e., cognitive, emotional, and behavioral), intentions towards infidelity, and conflict tactics, including negotiation, psychological aggression, physical assault, sexual coercion, and injury. Our results demonstrated that the Dark Triad traits had strong links to the intention to commit infidelity and jealousy, and at the correlational level, there were small correlations between jealousy and the intention to commit infidelity. Both jealousy and the intention to commit infidelity predicted conflict tactics. As this is possibly one of the first studies to examine these variables jointly, the present results add to our understanding of the role of personality in romantic relationships.

Keywords

• interpersonal relationships
• intimate partner violence
• jealousy
• narcissism
• psychopathy
• machiavellianism