The Influence of the Dark Triad of Personality on Rape Myth Acceptance and Rape Supportive Attitudes: A Regression Analysis

Abstract

The Dark Triad, encompassing Machiavellianism, narcissism, and psychopathy, represents a socially malevolent personality constellation linked to apathy, sexual aggression, and rape cognitions. This study aimed to investigate the predictive relationship between Dark Triad traits and rape myth acceptance (RMA) and rape-supportive attitudes (RSA). Using social media, 101 adults from six races completed assessments for Dark Triad traits, RMA, and RSA. Multiple regression analyses revealed Machiavellianism positively predicted limited but significant variance in RMA (10.4 Percent) and RSA (12.2 Percent), while psychopathy was a significant positive predictor of RMA (29.7 Percent) and RSA (31.2 Percent). Narcissism had contrasting influences on RMA (9.9 Percent) and RSA (91 Percent). These findings support existing literature and suggest potential areas for further research in academia and law. The study lays the foundation for developing multimodal interventions that consider the relationship between personality traits and RMA/RSA when addressing sexual aggression. The implications, limitations, and suggestions for future research are discussed.

Keywords: Dark Triad, Personality, Rape Myth Acceptance, Rape Supportive Attitudes, Regression

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