Dark Tetrad, Acceptance of Sexual Violence, and Sexism

Abstract

Abstract. The Dark Tetrad is a cluster of four “dark” personality traits which are socially aversive, with distinct conceptual roots, but which are intercorrelated: narcissism, psychopathy, Machiavellianism, and sadism. Narcissism is associated with inflated self-esteem and feelings of grandiosity; psychopathy involves reduced empathy and a lack of remorse or guilt; Machiavellianism is characterized by a tendency for manipulation for own personal benefit; sadism involves feelings of pleasure with the pain or suffering of others. Sexism is the group of beliefs linked with the perceived superiority of men over women. Previous studies have found relationships between the Dark Tetrad and the tolerance of the use of sexual violence and between the former and sexism. Furthermore, sexism has been linked with the acceptance of sexual violence. This study aims to revise the literature exploring the link between each of the components of the Dark Tetrad and the legitimation of the use of sexual violence; it also aims to present the associations that have been found between the aforementioned variables and sexism and related concepts, in multiple studies. Based on the previous literature, suggestions for aims of future research in this field (i.e., Dark Tetrad, sexual violence, sexism) are made, more specifically exploring the relative effect of each of the components of the Dark Tetrad in the explanation of the legitimation of sexual violence, as well as exploring a possible, at least partial, mediation of sexism in the link between each of the “dark” traits and the acceptance of sexual violence.

Is the link between the Dark Tetrad and the acceptance of sexual violence mediated by sexual machismo?

“…Regarding narcissism specifically, Baumeister et al (2002) have proposed a narcissistic reactance theory of sexual assault, according to which the feelings of sexual entitlement lead the narcissistic individual, in the face of sexual denial, to feel highly rejected, to desire having sex more, and to try to reclaim it by forcing the person who has refused it. In line with this, the Dark Tetrad has also been linked with the acceptance of sexual violence (for a review, see Costa et al, 2023)-particularly in the form of rape myth acceptance (Boland, 2018;Costa, 2020;DeLisle et al, 2019;Jonason et al, 2017), with psychopathy having been found to be the only "dark" trait that emerges as a unique predictor of rape-enabling attitudes including rape myth acceptance (Jonason et al, 2017).…”

Dark Tetrad personality traits, paraphilic interests, and the role of impulsivity: an EEG-study using a Go/No-Go paradigm

“…For instance, research has found that a combination of psychopathic traits such as affective facets, but mostly antisociality, are related to sexual violence and sexual sadism 17 , 18 . Everyday sadism is regarded as a subclinical personality construct of enjoying cruelty, humiliation and violent behavior and taking pleasure from other people’s psychological or physical suffering 8 , 19 . Moreover, everyday sadism strongly predicts higher sexual drive 9 and is associated with increased engagement in harmful, sexually aggressive behaviors 16 , 20 .…”

Conformity to masculine norms, the Dark Tetrad, and men’s rape myth acceptance.

“…Over the past several decades, a sizeable body of empirical research has related one or more Dark Tetrad traits to various harmful interpersonal outcomes (e.g., short-term relationships, aggression, infidelity), including indicators of sexual violence against women (Costa et al, 2022). Specifically, significant positive associations have been found between psychopathy dimensions (e.g., interpersonal, antisocial behavior) and RMA in samples of male prisoners and nonprisoners (Debowska et al, 2015) and college students (Mouilso & Calhoun, 2013).…”