The Unholy Trinity: The Dark Triad, Sexual Coercion, and Brunswik-Symmetry

Abstract

Psychopathy, Narcissism, and Machiavellianism (the Dark Triad) have each been hypothesized as predictors of socially deviant behavior including sexual coercion, but the three traits also covary significantly with one another. The purpose of this study was to examine several alternative Multisample Structural Equation Models (MSEMs) exploring the relations between the Dark Triad and Sexually Coercive Behavior, testing whether any or all of the three specific "Dark Personality" traits uniquely contributed to predicting sexually coercive behavior. Self-report questionnaires measuring Primary and Secondary Psychopathy, Narcissism, Machiavellianism, and Sexually Coercive Behavior were administered to a sample of undergraduates. The relative fit of each of the MSEMs to the data was examined by means of hierarchically nested model comparisons. The most parsimonious yet explanatory model identified was one in which a single common factor composed of the three Dark Triad indicators explained the relationships among the Dark Triad traits and Sexually Coercive Behavior without any direct contributions from the specific Dark Triad indicators. Results indicate that the three Dark Triad traits, controlling for the common factor, do not differentially predict Sexually Coercive Behavior. These results are interpreted with respect to the principle of Brunswik-Symmetry.

A primer on the Dark Triad traits

“…For example, this is demonstrated in sexual aggression, such that each trait is linked to sexual coercion (Figueredo, Gladden, Sisco, Patch, & Jones, 2015) and rape-enabling attitudes (Jonason, Girgis, & Milne-Home, 2017), although it appears narcissism might play a particularly weak role when sufficiently isolated (Jonason, 2015a). For example, this is demonstrated in sexual aggression, such that each trait is linked to sexual coercion (Figueredo, Gladden, Sisco, Patch, & Jones, 2015) and rape-enabling attitudes (Jonason, Girgis, & Milne-Home, 2017), although it appears narcissism might play a particularly weak role when sufficiently isolated (Jonason, 2015a).…”

“…It has been suggested that the Dark Triad traits reflect a meaningful and evolutionary relevant latent construct (Jonason et al, 2009), and idea that has received support from overseas researchers (Bertl, Pietschnig, Tran, Stieger, & Voracek, 2017) and those parsing the shared and unique variance using structural equation modelling in relation to important outcomes like sexual assault (Figueredo et al, 2015;Jonason, Girgis, & Milne-Home, 2017). This has both conceptual and measurement implications.…”

“…These aggressive dispositions play out in various important areas of life. For example, this is demonstrated in sexual aggression, such that each trait is linked to sexual coercion (Figueredo, Gladden, Sisco, Patch, & Jones, 2015) and rape-enabling attitudes (Jonason, Girgis, & Milne-Home, 2017), although it appears narcissism might play a particularly weak role when sufficiently isolated (Jonason, 2015a). In men, the Dark Triad traits are associated with tactics of seductive persuasion for sexual access, and of the Dark Triad traits, psychopathy is the most strongly related to aggressive, forceful, and manipulative tactics for sexual access (Jones & Olderbak, 2014).…”

“…This has both conceptual and measurement implications. It has been suggested that the Dark Triad traits reflect a meaningful and evolutionary relevant latent construct (Jonason et al, 2009), and idea that has received support from overseas researchers (Bertl, Pietschnig, Tran, Stieger, & Voracek, 2017) and those parsing the shared and unique variance using structural equation modelling in relation to important outcomes like sexual assault (Figueredo et al, 2015;Jonason, Girgis, & Milne-Home, 2017). However, recent evidence has also claimed there might not even be three traits but, merely a combined Machiavellianism and psychopathy factor with narcissism standing alone for both the SD3 and the DD measures (Kajonius, Persson, Rosenberg, & Garcia, 2016;Persson, Kajonius, & Garcia, 2017).…”

“…For instance, psychopathy is sensitive to provocation whereas Machiavellianism is not (Jones & Paulhus, 2010); Machiavellianism is associated with the use of 'hard' and 'soft' tactics of manipulation, whereas psychopathy is only associated with 'hard' tactics (Jonason, Slomski, & Partyka, 2012); and Machiavellianism is unrelated to relationship motives whereas psychopathy is (Jonason, Luévano, & Adams, 2012). Indeed, it is an essential task that researchers partial related variance in all three of the Dark Triad traits to ascertain what is correlated with the shared variance and what is uniquely linked to each trait (Figueredo et al, 2015;Jonason, Girgis, & Milne-Home, 2017). In addition, it is true that there is content lost for both the SD3 and the DD, as would be expected because their designers intended to make a unified and efficient measure of all three traits.…”