ADD. Revista Latinoamericana de Psicología · 2026

The Dark Side of couple relationships: The Dark Tetrad, romantic myths and maladaptive emotional links

Introduction: The Dark Tetrad encompasses four personality traits (Machiavellianism, Narcissism, Psychop athy and Sadism) that foster destructive behaviours in romantic relationships, which can be justified by the archetypal vision of love. People with these traits exhibit distancing and/or avoidance strategies that hinder the formation of lasting and adaptive emotional bonds in romantic relationships, given their conflicts in emotional reciprocity, as well as tendencies towards grandiosity, manipulation, and even interpersonal domination. Objective: The aim of this study is to analyse the significant relations between the Dark Tetrad and Romantic Myths, as well as their impact on relationship dynamics. Method: A total of 240 Spanish participants (138 women and 102 men), aged between 18 and 59 years (M = 28.0; SD = 11.4), were recruited. Results: Men scored higher on all factors of the dark tetrad, as well as on indicators of idealised love and distorted love. A positive and significant relation has been found between Dark Tetrad traits and Romantic Love Myths, as well as between the internalisation of these myths and the justification of certain violent behaviours inflicted by the other member of the couple. Furthermore, it has been confirmed that the greater the manifestation of traits of the dark tetrad, especially psychopathy, Machiavellianism, and sadism, the greater the abusive behaviours (shouting, insults, threats, lies, emotional blackmail, and physical aggression) perpetrated. Conclusions: The descriptive personality traits of the Dark Tetrad and the idealised vision of romantic love, are related to the perpetration/acceptance of power and control behav iours in relationships.