Dark, dissatisfied and disengaged: Propensity towards marital infidelity, the dark triad, marital satisfaction and the mediating role of moral disengagement

Abstract

Past research found various immoral conducts that people with higher levels of the Dark Triad traits are more inclined to engage in, including infidelity. Marital dissatisfaction has also emerged as a factor of unfaithful behaviors. However, the psychological dynamics of the effects of these personality and relational factors on infidelity are less clear. This study examined the potential mediational role of the use of moral disengagement strategies for justifying infidelity in the relationships between the Dark Triad traits and marital satisfaction, on the one hand, and the tendency towards unfaithful behaviors, on the other, in married participants (N = 241). Results indicate that psychopathy, narcissism and marital dissatisfaction are related to stronger tendencies towards infidelity, and that these effects are partially (in the case of psychopathy and marital dissatisfaction) or totally (in the case of narcissism) mediated by the tendency to morally justify unfaithful acts. No unique direct or indirect effect of Machiavellianism emerged as significant, while men were found to be more inclined towards unfaithful conduct. These findings highlight the importance of the skewed and self-lenient moral judgments fostered by the Dark Triad traits and marital dissatisfaction, which legitimize one’s infidelity and thus renders it more likely.

Keywords

• dark triad
• infidelity
• moral disengagement
• marital satisfaction
• moral judgments