Dark Traits, Harassment and Rape Myths Acceptances Among University Students

Abstract

The convergence of Machiavellianism, narcissism, psychopathy and sadism is known as the “Dark Tetrad.” Our understanding of the relationship between the Dark Tetrad, harassment and Rape Myths is limited. While men are more likely to blame victims of sexual violence, it is unclear how gender influences the ability to perceive harassment. The aim of the present study is to look at the relationship between dark traits, gender, Rape Myths and perception of harassment. A sample of N = 210 university students located in England & Wales were recruited on SONA and social media platforms. Student’s t-tests, Pearson’s correlations, and multiple linear regressions were conducted. Analyses revealed gender differences for both Rape Myths endorsement and perception of harassment. Furthermore, a relationship between the dark traits, Rape Myths and perception of harassment was founded. These results have several implications, including our ability to understand perpetrators’ characteristics, the impact of the Dark Tetrad on Rape Myths and perception of harassment, and our ability to develop effective prevention programs.

Everyday Sadism as a Predictor of Rape Myth Acceptance and Perception of Harassment

“…Everyday sadism entails aggression that is pleasure-driven and involves the infliction of physical and emotional pain on others to humiliate, punish or control them (Longpré et al, 2020a). In contrast to the important empirical work on the facets of the Dark Triad, research on everyday sadism is more limited, and the concept is often studied from the perspective of criminal behavior and sexual sadism (Buckels et al, 2013;Longpré et al, 2022). However, Longpré et al (2020b) have shown that sadism extends beyond a sexual disorder found in criminal populations, and in its subclinical form, it can predict maladaptive behaviors and delinquency such as traditional and online bullying (Geel et al, 2017), white-collar crime (Amos et al, 2022), sexual violence (Beckett & Longpré, 2022;Russell et al, 2017), atypical sexual violence , stalking (Tachmetzidi Papoutsi & Longpré, 2022), and homicide (Monckton-Smith et al, 2017).…”

“…Positive relationships have also been found between everyday sadism, sexual assault, Rape Myth acceptance, and coercion amongst men (Koscielska et al, 2019;Longpré et al, 2022;Russell & King, 2016). Evidence indicates that highly sadistic individuals might be able to commit these acts and avoid feelings of guilt due to the psychological rationalizations they employ (Longpré et al, 2022). Everyday sadism is thought to originate from defective moral reasoning (Buckels et al, 2019), which could be linked to a greater endorsement of Rape Myths.…”

“…Research on the association between sexual harassment and everyday sadism is scarce, but perpetrators of harassment have been found to be more likely to endorse Rape Myths, to be more coercive, and to be more aggressive than non-harassers (Beckett & Longpré, 2022; Begany & Milburn, 2002; Lucero et al, 2006). These characteristics have, in turn, been linked to everyday sadism (Koscielska et al, 2019; Longpré et al, 2022). Among everyday sadists, greater enjoyment comes from sadistic acts in the absence of consent (Erickson & Sagarin, 2021), which is a component of harassment (McDonald, 2012).…”

“…The latter predicts harassment proclivity in men (Page & Pina, 2018), and the former could also be a contributing mechanism in harassment. It has also been shown that harassment and sexual violence form part of the same continuum (Knight et al, 2013; Longpré et al, 2020b; Sims-Knight & White, 2018), and sexual violence is, in turn, also associated with sadism (Longpré et al, 2022; Russell et al, 2017). These studies imply that everyday sadism could potentially have a relationship with different forms of harassment and thus highlight the need to investigate this relationship.…”

“…Recent studies have supported the relationship between subclinical personality traits, sexual violence and underlying offence-supportive cognitions (Beckett & Longpré, 2022). However, few studies have been conducted on less severe forms of sexual violence (e.g., Longpré et al, 2022; Sims-Knight & White, 2018) and our understanding of the nomological network and correlates of these forms of violence is scarce. Therefore, the present manuscript aims to study the relationship between everyday sadism, rape myths acceptance and perception of harassment.…”