The dark triad and honesty rules in romantic relationships

Muñoz, Mónica E.; De Los Reyes, Sissy

doi:10.1007/s12144-021-02171-y

Published: 07 August 2021

The dark triad and honesty rules in romantic relationships

Mónica E. Muñoz¹ &
Sissy De Los Reyes¹

Current Psychology (2021)Cite this article

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Abstract

The Dark Triad of personality (Machiavellianism, Narcissism and Psychopathy) was explored in relation to honesty rules in romantic relationships. These traits have been found to predict deception in romantic relationships, lower relationship commitment, and preference for short-term relationships. Given these findings, the Dark Triad was expected to predict stronger endorsement of discretionary honesty rules that are flexible on deception, but weaker endorsement of obligatory rules that are strict on honesty. Participants completed the Short Dark Triad scale (SD3) and reported their endorsement of honesty rules in romantic relationships. Results indicated that Machiavellianism and Psychopathy predicted stronger endorsement of discretionary rules, while only Psychopathy predicted weaker endorsement of obligatory rules. Implications of these findings are discussed.

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The raw data that support this study’s results will be made available by the corresponding author, [MEM], upon reasonable request.

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Department of Psychology and Communication, Texas A&M International University, 5201 University Blvd, Laredo, TX, 78041, USA
Mónica E. Muñoz & Sissy De Los Reyes

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Mónica E. Muñoz
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Sissy De Los Reyes
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Approval was obtained from the Institutional Review Board of Texas A&M International University. The procedures used in this study adhere to the tenets of the Declaration of Helsinki.

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Muñoz, M.E., De Los Reyes, S. The dark triad and honesty rules in romantic relationships. Curr Psychol (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12144-021-02171-y

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Accepted: 29 July 2021
Published: 07 August 2021
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12144-021-02171-y

Keywords

Narcissism
Machiavellianism
Psychopathy
Honesty rules
Romantic relationships

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Availability of Data and Material

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Authors and Affiliations

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Conflicts of Interest/Competing Interests

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