ORIGINAL

ISSN 0120-0534

Volumen 58

* Corresponding author.

E-mail: mvilla@uniovi.es https://doi.org/10.14349/rlp.2026.v58.6 0120-0534/© 2026 Fundación Universitaria Konrad Lorenz. This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/).

Revista Latinoamericana de Psicología (2026) 58, e580677 https://doi.org/10.14349/rlp.2026.v58.6 https://revistalatinoamericanadepsicologia.konradlorenz.edu.co/ The Dark Side of couple relationships:

The Dark Tetrad, romantic myths and maladaptive emotional links Llara Álvarez Sanz , María de la Villa Moral-Jiménez * a Facultad de Psicología, Universidad de Oviedo, Oviedo, España Received 7 December 2025; accepted 10 June 2026 Abstract | 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 tenden­ cies 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.

Keywords: Maladaptive emotional links, couple relationships, Machiavellianism, narcissism, psychopathy, sadism © 2026 Fundación Universitaria Konrad Lorenz. This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/ by-nc-nd/4.0/).

El lado oscuro de las relaciones de pareja: tétrada oscura, mitos románticos y vínculos emocionales desadaptativos Resumen | Introducción: La Tétrada Oscura engloba cuatro rasgos de personalidad (maquiavelismo, narcisismo, psicopa­ tía y sadismo) que fomentan conductas destructivas en las relaciones de pareja, justificables por la visión arquetípica del amor. Las personas con estos rasgos presentan estrategias de distanciamiento o evitación que dificultan la formación de vínculos emocionales duraderos y adaptativos, dada sus conflictos en la reciprocidad emocional, así como tendencias a la grandiosidad, a la manipulación e incluso a la dominación interpersonal. Objetivo: El objetivo de este artículo es analizar las relaciones significativas entre la Tétrada Oscura y los Mitos Románticos, así como su impacto en la dinámica relacional. Método: Se reclutó a un total de 240 participantes españoles (138 mujeres y 102 hombres), con edades comprendidas entre los 18 y los 59 años (M = 28.0; DE = 11.4). Resultados: Los hombres obtuvieron puntuaciones más altas en la Tétrada Oscura, los mitos del amor romántico, así como en los factores de amor idealizado y de amor distorsionado. Se ha encontrado una

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L. Álvarez Sanz and M. V. Moral-Jiménez

The link between what is classified as dark personali­ ties, the myths of romantic love and violence in couple relationships have been arousing interest in specialised psychological literature due to their multiple impacts and dysfunctions that threaten the satisfactory de­ velopment at an emotional level of such relational ties (Bolelli, 2019; Cascardi et al., 2026; Ha et al., 2018; Mandal & Latusek, 2018).

The term dark personality refers to subclinical person­ ality disorders, with the subclinical label being applied to those people who, despite possessing some traits, lead a normative life, according to Paulhus (2014). With regards to the dark personality, the concept of the Dark Triad arises, which includes subclinical Machiavellian­ ism, narcissism and psychopathy (Paulhus & Williams, 2002). These traits can be understood individually, but it may happen that, if one of the traits manifests, so do the others due to the fact that they share certain char­ acteristics. This superposition also applies to everyday sadism, which is why it was included as a fourth trait, giving rise to the Dark Tetrad (Book et al., 2016). These types of personality imply, in various degrees, a harm­ ful profile at an interpersonal level, with tendencies towards grandiosity, manipulation and even domina­ tion (Pozueco & Moreno, 2013). The lack of empathy is another of those aspects that allows establishing a link between the components of the Tetrad (Paulhus, 2014), and which results in other elements that usually man­ ifest themselves in relationships such as malice or self­ ishness (Jones & Paulhus, 2009). There is, therefore, a certain overlap between the components of the Tetrad on a superficial level; but there are also aspects that dif­ ferentiate them (Fariñas-Ferro, 2018). For this reason, to explain what is meant by the concept of the Dark Tetrad of Personality, it is essential to also define, according to scientific literature, its individual components. In general, psychopathy can be considered a clinical construct, which includes, in turn, a series of ethical and antisocial traits and behaviours, that are not nec­ essarily related to crime (Hare et al., 2022), in fact, two types of psychopathy are distinguished, criminal or de­ linquent and subclinical psychopathy, the second being the one of interest in this paper and which refers to in­ tegrated psychopaths. Psychopaths are usually charac­ terised by being friendly, charming, polite, intelligent, etc., as described by various authors, including Cleckley (1976), but they also lack empathy, guilt, fear and re­ morse, deception and mythomania. All of these charac­ relación positiva y significativa entre los rasgos de la Tétrada Oscura y los Mitos Románticos del Amor, así como entre la internalización de estos mitos y la justificación de determinadas conductas violentas infligidas por el otro miembro de la pareja. Asimismo, se ha confirmado que a mayor manifestación de rasgos de la tétrada oscura, en especial psicopatía, maquiavelismo y sadismo, mayores son las conductas abusivas (gritos, insultos, amenazas, mentiras, chantaje emocional y agresiones físicas) perpetradas. Conclusiones: Los rasgos de personalidad descriptivos de la Tétrada Oscura y la visión idealizada del amor romántico se relacionan con la perpetración/aceptación de conductas de poder y control en las rela­ ciones.

Palabras clave: Vínculos emocionales desadaptativos, relaciones de pareja, maquiavelismo, narcisismo, psicopatía, sadismo © 2026 Fundación Universitaria Konrad Lorenz. Este es un artículo Open Access bajo la licencia CC BY-NC-ND (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/ by-nc-nd/4.0/).

teristic aspects of psychopathy occur in both men and women, although with specific distinctive characteris­ tics (Pozueco et al., 2013).

As is known, the term Machiavellianism arises from the principles written by Machiavelli in the work Il Principe (Jones & Paulhus, 2009). It was introduced by Christie and Geis (1970), establishing the profile of the Machiavellian: cold and lacking empathy, distant from moral principles, without psychopathology and with low ideological commitment. Machiavellianism as a construct involves a series of traits such as superficial and social charm and insensitivity, which together form one of its main characteristics, the use of inter­ personal manipulation, that is to say, the ability to use others instrumentally to achieve one’s desires (Jones & Paulhus, 2009). Thus, the central elements of this trait appear to be manipulation, numb affection, and a stra­ tegic-calculative orientation (Jones & Paulhus, 2013). Subclinical narcissism is characterised by feelings of grandiosity, dominance, superiority, and the need to receive attention and admiration from others (Wurst et al., 2017), seeking self-improvement in order to maintain a positive self-image, which is usually inflated (Pozueco et al., 2013). To preserve this superior status, they tend to belittle those who pose a threat to them, which leads them to appear insensitive, selfish, hostile and even ag­ gressive, as long as it is that subclinical narcissism as­ sociated with “grandiose” narcissism (Back et al., 2013). Finally, the fourth trait included in the Dark Triad is subclinical sadism, which was added for two reasons, according to Paulhus et al. (2020). The first is the pos­ session of particular characteristics common to the previous components, as mentioned above. The second reason is that it adds the ability to humiliate others, to manifest cruelty behaviours, and to intentionally in­ flict physical, sexual or psychological pain on others, that is, cause suffering for purposes such as affirming power or dominance and obtaining pleasure or enjoy­ ment (O’Meara et al., 2011).

Gender differences in the Dark Tetrad While psychopathy is not a gender issue, neither are the rest of the traits that make up the Tetrad. Howev­ er, there is a multitude of research that corroborates that it is men who score significantly higher compared to women in the traits of the Dark Triad, as well as in sadism (Pineda et al., 2021; Plouffe et al., 2017). Therefore, through the Dark Tetrad, a series of mostly subclinical

3/10 The Dark Side of couple relationships: The Dark Tetrad, romantic myths and maladaptive emotional links personality traits, that can be found in both men and women, are described. Those traits share certain as­ pects, also providing others of their own which togeth­ er define a harmful personality in interpersonal terms, characterised by a lack of emotional reciprocity and predominant insensitivity (Chabrol et al., 2009). This can lead to socially maladjusted, selfish, exploitative and non-normative behaviours, which ultimately may cause suffering to other people. In addition, in the study by Ives et al. (2025), avoidant and anxious attachment orientations were found to indirectly influence touch aversion through dark triad traits. These traits fully mediated the effects of attachment insecurity on touch outcomes in women and with direct effects of attach­ ment orientations in men.

On the other hand, subjects with high scores in the Dark Tetrad are possible generators of risk and dys­ function in the subsequent topic that concerns the present investigation, the love sphere (Fariñas-Ferro, 2018). The cause may be a maladaptive capacity to love, as it is associated with distancing and avoidance strat­ egies that prevent the formation of lasting emotional bonds (Blanchard & Fino, 2023; Guerrero-Molina et al.,

2023).

The Dark Side of love Love is a socio-cultural construct, so each historical pe­ riod has developed a different conception of romantic love and the links that should exist or not between love, sex and marriage (Moral et al., 2017) associated with var­ ious beliefs, myths and paradoxes about the normative concept of love. As a social construct, it encompasses a set of representations, including those known as myths of romantic love. Its internalisation differs depending on gender. The cause of this can be found again in socio­ cultural influences, namely in differential socialisation, whereby people acquire differential gender identities that culminate in certain cognitive, attitudinal, behav­ ioural and moral styles. In this way, the idealisation of romantic love has been primarily related to women, al­ though men also accept this type of belief. Women tend to score higher on certain myths, such as eternal pas­ sion, and men on others, such as the myth of jealousy (Bonilla-Algovia & Rivas-Rivero, 2020; Bonilla-Algovia et al., 2021; Ferrer & Bosch, 2013).

Regardless of whom they are internalised by, myths have led to an idealisation of love linked to three com­ ponents of Sternberg’s classic model (1986): intima­ cy, passion and commitment, excluding the idea that harm can be part of it, nevertheless, it does, according to Fariñas-Ferro (2018). This pain or suffering implicit in love can escalate to violence within the relationship. In fact, the internalisation of specific myths can lead to justifying harmful behaviours (Ferrer & Bosch, 2013), that may or may not go unnoticed and, even though they are not carried out exclusively by subjects with Dark Tetrad traits, they can also manifest them, high­ lighting those typical of psychological-emotional vio­ lence (Pozueco et al., 2013) which increases the difficulty in identifying or recognising them.

This tendency towards violence perpetrated in ro­ mantic couple relationships and carried out by people with Dark Tetrad traits can be called the dark side of love. These subjects turn the field of love into a kind of game in which they take advantage of the context of in­ terpersonal relationships to benefit themselves (Ali & Chamorro-Premuzic, 2010). Certainly, subjects with Tet­ rad traits tend to be attractive for short-term relation­ ships, since they do not always comply with the above­ mentioned components of love described by Sternberg (Smith et al., 2014). Furthermore, based on their lack of empathy, among other factors, they often lie frequent­ ly in relationships, which can lead to infidelity (Baugh­ man et al., 2014), and to this are added other behav­ iours related to violence and abuse, showing verbal and physical hostility. Concerning this, manifestations of the Dark Tetrad constructs include typical violent be­ haviours, either in general or specific to each construct (Pozueco et al., 2013). For example, narcissism could involve displays of need for recognition, an inflated self-image, manipulation, deception, etc. (Wurst et al., 2017), and sadism would highlight physical, verbal and emotional hostility or aggressiveness (Paulhus, 2014). The basis of all these actions is usually a lack of empa­ thy, although insensitivity has its own manifestations. These types of dark personalities are closely associated with psycho-emotionally toxic, incomplete and unsat­ isfactory romantic relationships, according to Pozueco et al. (2013).

Dysfunctional love in couples relationships and romantic myths If it is considered that love relationships can pose diffi­ culties in and of themselves, based on the above, main­ taining them with individuals with personality disor­ ders can complicate them even more, especially when they endanger the physical and mental health of the other (Mejia et al., 2020). Both psychological and physi­ cal suffering in these relationships are high, especially if the Dark Triad traits are highly marked (Kiire, 2017). Therefore, entering into a relationship with a person who has traits of the Dark Tetrad can trigger a series of behaviours typical of couple violence. These could be justified or not recognised due to how love is under­ stood, where romantic myths play a fundamental role and trigger control mechanisms (Moral & Prieto, 2022). The consequences for the victims of this violence, of which they may not be aware, are negative, influenc­ ing the emotional stability of the victim, but also their self-esteem, and as a whole affecting the vital spheres of the person (Moral et al., 2017).

Due to the relevance of the topic, intimate partner violence has been studied for decades, as well as the components of the Dark Tetrad, highlighting subclin­ ical psychopathy. In the last ten years, greater interest in this topic has arisen, with studies such as the one carried out by Pozueco et al. (2013) regarding integrat­ ed psychopaths in relationships. More recently and in line with romantic relationships, other investigations have been done focused on the Dark Triad, and more specifically focused on psychopathy, such as the studies by Baeza-Ugarte and Fernández-Tapia (2022) and Guer­ rero-Molina et al. (2023). In this type of investigation,

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the kind of relationship that integrated psychopaths maintain is analysed in relation to gender violence and abuse.

The same occurs independently with Romantic Myths since they are strongly internalised in adoles­ cents (Bonilla-Algovia et al., 2021). These studies analyse part of the psychological imaginary that can lead to its most serious aspects in cases of violence within the couple and dependency (Moyeda et al., 2020). However, it is more challenging to find studies on the Dark Tetrad and relationships, taking into account Romantic Myths. Through this type of research, it is possible to broaden the understanding of the dynamics in couple relation­ ships, with all that this implies when one of the members displays Tetrad traits. Likewise, using these studies as a basis, other aspects related to culture and therefore to these myths of romantic love can also be studied, since the strong internalisation of these can lead to negative consequences per se (Bonilla-Algovia & Rivas-Rive­ ro, 2020; Ferrer & Bosch, 2013; Moral & Prieto, 2022). Objectives and hypotheses As stated above it is proposed, as a general objective, to analyse the relations between the Dark Tetrad and Ro­ mantic Love Myths, as well as their impact on the dy­ namics of couple relationships. Likewise, the following specific objectives are formulated: (a) to check if there are statistically significant differences between the scales of the Dark Tetrad and the myths of romantic love according to gender, (b) to determine whether a statis­ tically significant relation exists between the Dark Tet­ rad and the belief in romantic myths, (c) to study how the internalisation of myths affects the acceptance of the manifestation of typical behaviours of The Dark Tetrad in perceptions about the dynamics of the couple relationship, and (d) to analyse the relation between the indicators of the Dark Tetrad and the manifestation of its characteristic behaviours in self-perceptions about the dynamics of couple relationships.

Based on these objectives, the following research hy­ potheses are proposed: H1) The existence of statistically significant differences is expected between the scales of the Dark Tetrad and the myths of romantic love ac­ cording to gender, so men will present higher scores on both. H2) A direct relation will be found between the Dark Tetrad and the myths of romantic love, so a high score on the Tetrad scale will imply a high score on the Myths of Romantic Love. H3) A direct relation will be found between a high internalisation of myths and a justification of typical behaviours of the Dark Tetrad in the dynamics of couple relationships. H4) A positive relation will be found between the score obtained on the Dark Tetrad scale and the manifestation of its typ­ ical behaviours in couple relationships, that is, dating violence.

Materials and method Participants Using non-probabilistic sampling, 240 participants between the ages of 18 and 59 (M = 28.0, SD = 11.4) were selected according to the following inclusion criteria: being of legal age and having a partner or having had one in the last 12 months from the time of the survey. Failure to comply with the stated criteria was consid­ ered an exclusion criterion. In terms of basic descrip­ tive socio-demographic variables, 42.5% are men (n = 102), 57.5% are women (n = 138), and 98.4% of whom live in Spain. Regarding the educational level complet­ ed, 52.5% of the participants have middle-level studies (Levels and Intermediate Vocational Training) (n = 126), and 40.8% have higher-level studies (Higher Vocational Training, Bachelor’s Degree, Master’s Degree and PhD) (n = 98). Only 6.7% have mandatory levels (Primary Ed­ ucation and Secondary Education) (n = 16). Information on partner relationships was also collected, so that 71.7% of participants (n = 172) currently have a partner, compared to 28.3% (n = 68) who have had a partner in the previous 12 months. 95.0 % were heterosexual rela­ tionships (n = 228).

Measure Short Dark Tetrad. To evaluate The Dark Tetrad, the Spanish version of Pineda’s Short Dark Tetrad (Gutiérrez, 2022) was used. It is made up of 36 items extracted from two instruments and measured using a Likert-type scale from 0 (totally disagree) to 4 (totally agree). On one hand, the Short Dark Triad (SD-3) by Jones and Paulhus (2013), translated by Pineda et al. (2018), whose items are grouped into three subscales: Machiavellianism (a = .73), narcissism (a = .61) and psychopathy (a = .68). On the other hand, the Sadistic Personality Assessment (ASP) by Plouffe et al. (2017) was also applied, and translated by Pineda et al. (2021) as well, which includes items to assess sadism (a = .75). In the reliability analysis carried out in this study, a Cronbach’s alpha of .78 was obtained for Machiavellianism, .70 for narcissism, .71 for psy­ chopathy and .80 for sadism. For the global scale, the reliability obtained was .90.

Scale of Myths of Romantic Love (SMRL). This scale by Bonilla-Algovia and Rivas-Rivero (2020) has been designed and validated with the purpose of evaluating the internalisation of different romantic myths, such as: omnipotence, other half, couple, eternal passion, exclusivity and marriage, self-denial, jealousy and am­ bivalence. It is made up of 11 items evaluated with a Lik­ ert-type response format from 1 (completely disagree) to

5 (completely agree), which are grouped into the factors:

Myths of Idealised Love (items 1 to 7) and Myths of Dis­ torted Love (items 8 to 11). The SMRL presents accept­ able reliability values (a > .70), obtaining a Cronbach’s alpha value of .80 in this study.

Demographics and perceptions about the dynam­ ics in the couple relationship. Finally, ad hoc items were created to obtain additional information, both of a socio-demographic nature, as well as specific aspects related to the objectives of the study. Specifically, the survey included questions about sex, age, place of res­ idence, level of education completed, whether the re­ spondent had a partner at the time of the survey or in the last twelve months, the number of partners during this period, and the type of relationship (heterosexual or homosexual). The final section of the questionnaire

5/10 The Dark Side of couple relationships: The Dark Tetrad, romantic myths and maladaptive emotional links presented 18 questions grouped into two factors of nine items each: Perceptions of the partner and Perceptions of oneself. The questions were designed specifically for this investigation, based mainly on the scientific liter­ ature of Pozueco et al. (2013), but also on others such as Fariñas-Ferro (2018). Specifically, partner and oneself perceptions are evaluated with a 5-alternative Likert response format. The survey explores various forms of interaction and conflict within the relationship, such as yelling, insults, threats, lies, jealousy, emotional ma­ nipulation, physical aggression, and emotional neglect. It also includes questions about who initiates these be­ haviours, who engages in them more frequently, and whether the individual considers these actions justified or deserved. Taken together, the questions allow for an analysis of both the perception of the partner's behav­ iour and a self-reflection on one's own behaviour within the relationship, offering a comprehensive view of the emotional and conflict dynamics within the couple. Procedure Participants were selected through non-probabilis­ tic sampling carried out with the “snowball” method according to the classification of Martínez-Arias et al. (2014) in online mode. Participation in the study was completely voluntary and anonymous, ensuring the confidentiality of the data collected. All participants accepted informed consent and the study conformed to the ethical standards of the American Psychological Association (2010). Additionally, the explicit consent of the respondents was required to collect the data, check­ ing a box to communicate their agreement, in accord­ ance with Organic Law 3/2018.

Design The present research, according to the criteria of Mon­ tero and León (2007), consists of a descriptive study of populations through survey research, with non-prob­ abilistic sampling, using a cross-sectional and correla­ tional design.

Data analysis Data analysis was carried out with the version 2.3.28. of JAMOVI. The data related to the descriptive exploration of socio-demographic aspects were analysed, as well as the reliability analyses of the scales. The assump­ tions for the application of parametric statistics were verified. To test the hypotheses relating to differences based on sex in the scales of the Dark Tetrad and the myths of romantic love, T-tests were carried out for in­ dependent samples, in addition to the relevant tests of normality and homogeneity, these being: K-S (Kolmog­ orov- Smirnov), and Levene’s test, respectively. In both cases, a Student’s T-test was carried out. For the remain­ ing objectives, correlation matrices were used, both for the global scales and their factors, with the objective of measuring the relationships between variables, as well as the direction and magnitude of the relationship be­ tween them.

Results Differences based on sex in the Dark Tetrad and the Myths of Romantic Love In the Dark Tetrad analysis, the existence of statistical­ ly significant differences was confirmed, with signifi­ cantly higher scores for men t(238) = -3.67, p < .001, d = -.479. In a complementary manner, the test was carried out for each factor that makes up the scale: psychopa­ thy, t(238) = -3.23, p < .01, d = -.421; narcissism, t(238) = -2.71, p < .01, d = -.354; Machiavellianism, t(238) = -2.51, p < .05, d = -.328; and sadism, t(238) = -3.56, p < .001, d = -.465. This same response trend applies to the study of romantic myths in which men obtained significant­ ly higher scores t(238) = -3.91, p < .001, d = -.510 (Table 1). The same thing happens for the factors Idealised Love (t(238) = -2.14, p < .05, d = -.280) and Distorted Love (t(238) = -5.86, p < .001, d = -.766 ).

Table 1. Student’s t-test for independent samples of the variables Romantic Myths, Dark Tetrad, Idealised Love and Distorted Love by Sex Mean Statistical p Cohen’s d Romantic Myths Female

22.884

-3.91

< .001

-.510

Male

26.343

Dark Tetrad Female

34.043

-3.67

< .001

-.479

Male

42.441

F-Idealised Love Female

2.216

-2.14

.033

-.280

Male

2.410

F-Distorted Love Female

1.842

-5.86

< .001

-.766

Male

2.368

Note. Romantic Myths = Total score for Romantic Love Myths; Dark Tetrad = Total score for Dark Tetrad; F-Idealised Love = Myths Factor of Idealised Love; F-Distorted Love = Distorted Love Myths Factor.

Relation between Romantic Myths and the Dark Tetra As can be seen in Table 2, the variables Romantic Myths and Dark Tetrad correlate moderately (r = .33, p < .001). The Idealised Love factor correlates weakly with the components of the Tetrad, in the same way that the Distorted Love dimension does with narcissism (r = .25, p < .001), and in comparison, with the moderate corre­ lation of this factor with psychopathy (r = .32, p < .001), Machiavellianism (r = .42, p < .001) and sadism (r = .33, p < .001). Taking into account the scores obtained, the correlation is positive and statistically significant. Relationship between romantic myths and perceptions of abusive behaviour from a partner As in the previous case, to verify the third objective a correlation matrix is carried out, with the purpose of

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finding a relation between the victim’s internalisation of romantic myths and their acceptance or justification of dating violence typical behaviours. Thus, for the Ro­ mantic Myths variable the correlations with the items created ad hoc, through which perceptions of the cou­ ple’s relationship are evaluated, are weak (Table 3). The Dark Tetrad and self-reflection on one’s own abusive behaviour towards a partner A moderate correlation has been found between the factor related to self-perception within the relation­ ship, offering a broad view of the emotional and conflict dynamics exerted on the couple and the total score of the Tetrad (r = .41, p < .001), as well as it happens with psychopathy (r = .46, p <. 001), Machiavellianism (r = .34, p < .001) and sadism (r = .39, p < .001). For the narcissism construct, the correlation is weak (r = .17, p < .01) (Table 4). Discussion The aim of this study was to analyse the significant re­ lationships and differences between the Dark Tetrad and Romantic Myths, as well as their impact on the dy­ namics of couple relationships. Certainly, the relation­ ships between the personality factors that define the Dark Tetrad and Romantic Myths are established in the relational dynamics of couples, as substantiated (Bolel­ li, 2019; Ha et al., 2018; Mandal & Latusek, 2018). Multiple underlying interests justify its study due to the implica­ tions at a clinical and psychosocial level. Specifically, the first objective sought to investigate gender differences in both constructs, with men having higher scores in both. In this study, men scored higher on the Dark Tetrad, the myths of romantic love, as well as on the factors of idealised love and distorted love. This tendency is corroborated in previous studies such Table 2. Correlation Matrix for the variables Romantic Myths and the Dark Tetrad, and their factors Romantic Myths F-Ideal­ ised Love F-Distort­ ed Love Dark tetrad F-Psychop­ athy F-Narcissism F-Machiavellianism F-Sadism Romantic Myths — F-Idealised Love .938*** — F-Distorted Love .817*** .567*** — Dark tetrad .330*** .227*** .408*** — F-Psychopathy .261*** .183** .315*** .853*** — F-Narcissism .187** .115* .253*** .726*** .465*** — F-Machiavellianism .340*** .235*** .418*** .832*** .581*** .455*** — F-Sadism .282*** .204*** .332*** .857*** .781*** .444*** .625*** — Note. Ha is positive correlation; * p < .05, ** p < .01, *** p < .001, one-tailed; Romantic Myths = Total score for Romantic Love Myths; F-Idealised Love = Myths Factor of Idealised Love; F-Distorted Love = Distorted Love Myths Factor; F-Psychopathy = Psychopathy Factor; F-Narcissism = Narcissism Factor; F-Machiavellianism = Machiavellianism Factor; F-Sadism = Sadism Factor. Table 3. Correlation Matrix for Romantic Myths and their factors and perceptions in the relationship Romantic Myths F-Idealised Love F-Distorted Love Shouting Abuse Threats Lies Romantic Myths — F-Idealised Love .938*** — F-Distorted Love .817*** .567*** — Shouting

.177

.162

.155

— Abuse

-.136

-.119

-.138

.734*** — Threats

.101

.121

.028

.451** .524** — Lies .308** .276** .260** .556*** .570*** .521*** — Note. Ha is positive correlation; * p < .05, ** p < .01, *** p < .001, one-tailed; Romantic Myths = Total score for Romantic Love Myths; F-Idealised Love = Myths Factor of Idealised Love; F-Distorted Love = Distorted Love Myths Factor; Ad Hoc 2 = When your partner yells at you, do you think you deserve it?; Ad Hoc 8 = When your partner insults you, do you think you deserve it?; Ad Hoc 14 = When your partner threatens you, do you think it is justified?; Ad Hoc 20 = When your partner lies to you, do you think it is justified?

7/10 The Dark Side of couple relationships: The Dark Tetrad, romantic myths and maladaptive emotional links as that of Baeza-Ugarte and Fernández-Tapia (2022) re­ garding the Tetrad. As for the myths, several studies have been carried out focusing on the youth popula­ tion, such as that of Moyeda et al. (2020) or that of Car­ bonell and Mestre (2018), whose results are in line with the ones of this study. It is suggested that men may be more inclined towards dark personality characteristics and the acceptance of myths, and the influence of dif­ ferential socialisation may be the basis of these results (Carbonell & Mestre, 2018).

For the second objective, a direct relationship be­ tween the Dark Tetrad and myths was proposed. A di­ rect relation has been proven between the Dark Tetrad and romantic myths, especially between the compo­ nents of the Tetrad (being weaker for narcissism) and the Distorted Love factor. The results are consistent with the scientific literature. In fact, individuals with such traits may present distortions about love, in addi­ tion to a lack of commitment, so this distorted vision, supported by other studies (Gawda, 2023; Pozueco et al., 2013), affects the idealisation of love. As previously not­ ed, low scores were obtained for narcissism in relation to romantic myths and self-perception, which can be attributed to self-aggrandisement and the protection of an idealised self through rigid defense mechanisms (Habib et al., 2026; Keller et al., 2014). The third objective stated that internalisation of the myths could lead to greater acceptance of behaviours associated with dating violence. However, the relation found is weak, even though the results point to a pos­ sible positive one. This is supported by previous stud­ ies on sexism, gender-based violence and emotional dependency, as well as by the theories on the Romantic Love Myths which suggest that acceptance of these can lead to a normalisation and even a justification of such behaviours (Bonilla-Algovia et al., 2021; Granda & Moral, 2022). This provides relevant information about dating violence and allows us to delve deeper into the dynam­ ics of couple relationships with Machiavellian, narcis­ sistic, sadistic and psychopathic subjects, which may be of interest to different areas of study. The final objective was to analyse the relationship between scores on the Dark Tetrad scale and the perpe­ tration of violent behaviours in intimate relationships. It was hypothesised that individuals with Dark Tetrad traits may exhibit more violent behaviours in such re­ lationships. Through bivariate correlation analysis, a positive relationship was found between involving abusive behaviour (shouting, threats, insults, etc.) and traits of the dark tetrad, particularly with psychopa­ thy. This finding is in line with the existing literature that mainly links subclinical psychopathy, but also the other traits that make up the Tetrad with violent behaviours, including psycho-emotional, physical and verbal violence, as well as manipulation and control be­ haviours (Guerrero-Molina et al., 2023; Moral-Jiménez & Mena-Baumann, 2024; Wurst et al., 2017). In this sense, it addresses the relation with violent behaviour, an aspect that has not been investigated in this way before, and which may be crucial to understand the psychological factors underlying interpersonal violence in love. The results reinforce the importance of considering Dark Tetrad traits as significant risk factors for relationship violence. Therefore, the evaluation of these constructs can be useful in clinical and intervention contexts, especially those associated with the sociocultural de­ terminants of romantic myths, which, in couple dy­ namics, may justify this type of violent behaviour. The findings regarding the stronger association between the internalisation of romantic myths, the manifesta­ tion of Dark Tetrad traits, and certain dysfunctional be­ haviours—whether perpetrated or experienced as victi­ misation—in intimate relationships, such as shouting, could be partially explained by cultural differences in communication styles and emotional expression. In Mediterranean contexts such as Spain, some studies have pointed to greater verbal and emotional expres­ siveness in everyday interaction (see Nisbett, 2003), which could influence the perception and reported frequency of behaviours such as shouting in intimate relationships. However, this interpretation does not necessarily imply a greater presence of dysfunctional communication patterns in intimate relationships, as a distinction must be made between cultural expressive­ ness and coercive aggressive behaviours. Table 4. Correlation Matrix for the Dark Tetrad variable, and its factors Dark Tetrad F-Psychopathy F- Narcissism F-Machia­ vellianism F-Sadism F-Self- Perception Dark Tetrad — F-Psychopathy .853*** — F-Narcissism .726*** .465*** — F-Machiavellianism .832*** .581*** .455*** — F-Sadism .857*** .781*** .444*** .625*** — F-Self-perception .412*** .455*** .173** .340*** .388*** — Note. Ha is positive correlation; * p < .05, ** p < .01, *** p < .001, one-tailed; Dark Tetrad = Total Dark Tetrad Score; F-Psychopathy = Psychopathy Factor; F-Narcissism = Narcissism Factor; F- Machiavellianism = Machiavellianism Factor; F-Sadism = Sadism Factor; F-Self-perception.

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L. Álvarez Sanz and M. V. Moral-Jiménez

Limitations and future lines of research This study is not exempt from limitations. First, the non-probabilistic nature of the study does not guaran­ tee representativeness. Furthermore, it is a cross-sec­ tional study, so information on participants and results has only been collected at a specific time. On the other hand, there are characteristics of the scales that can­ not be controlled and that can condition the results ob­ tained, such as the fact that the questions posed to eval­ uate the Dark Tetrad may seem very direct, and may consequently bias the answers, hence possible social desirability biases should be assessed (Ardi et al., 2025). Another statistical limitation concerns the correlation coefficients obtained between romantic myths and the Dark Tetrad. Many of these coefficients exceed .30 and are statistically significant, and should therefore be interpreted with caution, although in psychosocial re­ search - and even more so in studies of constructs as complex and multidimensional as those addressed here -, they are considered of interest, in addition to being moderate in statistical terms.

As future lines of research, it is proposed to deepen the adoption of a gender perspective, by assessing the differential findings in the research variables evaluat­ ed. It would be of interest as a future line of research to examine this topic by setting as a research objective an analysis of the differences in romantic love myths based on age, given that the literature on the subject does not offer conclusive results. Thus, Martín et al. (2024) identi­ fied significant differences in the relationship between age, sexism, and romantic myths, although the authors note that the overall prevalence varies little over time, a finding supported by the results of other studies (see Bonilla-Algovia & Rivas-Rivero, 2018; Bonilla-Algovia et al., 2021; Iglesias-García et al., 2025). Also, it is conven­ ient to study these topics with a psychosocial orien­ tation, including cultural aspects that affect the roles assumed by the members of the couple, as well as the social construction of love. In this regard, a future line of research could focus on potential sociocultural dif­ ferences in the expression of communication styles and emotional expression by proposing a comparative study across different national identities. In short, personological variables, such as those de­ scriptive of the Dark Tetrad, are linked to an idealised vision of romantic love, so that narcissistic couples and those with clinical psychopathy develop mechanisms of power and control, submission and subjugation that represent dysfunctional manifestations in the dynam­ ics of romantic relationships and that lead to justifica­ tions of such mechanisms. Strategies must be promot­ ed not only at a psychotherapeutic level but also at a preventive level to raise awareness about the risks of normalising dysfunctional modes of action typically seen on the dark side of love (Ali & Chamorro-Premu­ zic, 2010; Arboleda & Hernández, 2024; Ardi et al., 2025; Cascardi et al., 2026; Moral-Jiménez & Mena-Baumann, 2024; Ručević & Antunović, 2026).

Statements and declarations Funding. No funding was received Data availability statements. The data contained within the article and the recordings and raw datasets supporting the conclusions of this study will be made available by the corresponding author on request. Competing interests. No authors have any financial ties or other conditions that can be considered a conflict of interest.

Ethics approval. All procedures performed in stud­ ies involving human participants were in accordance with the ethical standards of the institutional and/or national research committee and with the 1964 Helsin­ ki Declaration and its later amendments or comparable ethical standards. This study was approved by the Com­ mittee of Department of Psychology of the University of Oviedo (approval date: 5 October 2023, TFGUO282157). In accordance with the provisions of the Research Ethics Committee of the Principality of Asturias (Spain) (Law 14/2007) (BOPA, 42, 20-II-2014), this Committee is tasked with the evaluation of projects that involve research with human beings with biomedical purposes. That is not the case of our study, which is a clinical and psycho­ social research.

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