title: The unholy trinity: The Dark Triad, 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.
authors.affiliation: Graduate Program in Ethology and Evolutionary Psychology, Department of Psychology, School of Mind, Brain, and Behavior, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ, USA.
authors.forename: Aurelio José
authors.initials: AJ
authors.lastname: Figueredo
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology and Sociology, Middle Georgia State University, Macon, GA, USA.
authors.forename: Paul Robert
authors.initials: PR
authors.lastname: Gladden
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, College of Arts and Sciences, Roosevelt University, Chicago, IL, USA.
authors.forename: Melissa Marie
authors.initials: MM
authors.lastname: Sisco
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, School of Mind, Brain, and Behavior, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ, USA.
authors.forename: Emily Anne
authors.initials: EA
authors.lastname: Patch
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, University of Texas at El Paso, El Paso, TX, USA.
authors.forename: Daniel Nelson
authors.initials: DN
authors.lastname: Jones
mesh_terms: D000987:Antisocial Personality Disorder / Q000523:psychology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D000066511:Intimate Partner Violence / Q000523:psychology*; D008257:Machiavellianism; D008297:Male; D008960:Models, Psychological; D009289:Narcissism; D011599:Psychopathology; D057566:Self Report; D012725:Sexual Behavior / Q000523:psychology*; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires