Are people who use ghosting to dump their partners more likely to have Dark Triad traits present in their personalities?
The answer is yes—according to the findings of a 2021 study.
The article reporting on these findings is titled, “Leaving without a Word: Ghosting and the Dark Triad Traits.” The piece originally appeared in the October 2021 edition of the peer-reviewed journal, Acta Psychologica.
The research was conducted by:
— Peter K. Jonason
— Isabella Kaz-Mare-Zick (Izabela Kazmierczak)
— Ana Catarina Campos
— Mark D. Davis
Methods Employed
The study’s framework first reflected on the Dark Triad as a collection of overlapping personality traits and behaviors associated with:
— The grandiosity, entitlement, and validation seeking of narcissism
— The coldness, antagonism, and scorn for social norms of psychopathy
— And the manipulation and calculation of Machiavellianism
After that, the research specifically focused on ghosting—do these disturbed personality types end relationships by using this tactic? And how often if so?
The research team conducted their study using an online survey in late 2019.
The participant breakdown fell into these categories:
— 341 volunteers came from the United States.
— Approximately 76 percent were female and 23 percent were male.
— 71 percent were white and 42 percent were undergrad students.
— The remaining participants were predominantly black.
First, the 27-item Short Dark Triad questionnaire was used to determine the levels of Dark Triad traits potentially present in all of the participants.
Following the questionnaire, the study moved on to ghosting as a method for relationship termination. The definition of ghosting used in the study reads as follows:
“Ghosting is when a person abruptly socially disengages with someone they are romantically and/or sexually involved with, with little-to-no explanation.”
Findings
Yes, according to the study, individuals with higher levels of Dark Triad traits present in their personalities used ghosting to break it off with romantic partners.
Specially, the research revealed that participants exhibiting higher levels of Machiavellianism and psychopathy were more likely to ghost their unwanted partners. But participants with higher levels of narcissism detected in their personalities were not as likely to ghost.
One key element that appeared in the research—believe it or not—was guilt.
But… why?
Well, the article highlights that ghosting was considered more acceptable when ending shorter relationships. But the acceptability of ghosting decreased the longer a relationship played out.
The frequency of ghosting came up, too. The more ghosting a Dark Triad personality engaged in, the more the tactic was viewed as a viable and appropriate strategy for ending future relationships
If it works, it works.
As the article reports:
Our study showed that those who had ghosted others in the past were more Machiavellian and more psychopathic (but not narcissistic) than those who had not ghosted anyone. A possible explanation for this is that… individuals exhibiting levels of narcissism aren’t as likely to ghost… due to a narcissist’s ability to cognitively understand another person’s emotions (which is cognitive empathy) and use that to maintain a superficial relationship for future benefit (such as maintaining a source of “narcissistic supply”).
Dark Triad Behavior
Let’s get back to the idea of short-term versus long-term relationships.
One of the reasons why Dark Triad personalities ghost so much is because they’re usually only seeking out fleeting relationships and superficial attachments—especially when Machiavellianism and psychopathy register higher. Remember, these personalities are typically incapable of going deep emotionally to begin with.
It all turns into a self-fulfilling property. In the eyes of Dark Triad personalities, relationships are short-lived and not all that important. So, when those same relationships are not fun and exciting anymore, why not just vanish in the dead of night, never to be heard from again?
On this topic, the researchers wrote the following:
Traits like the Dark Triad… are associated with interest in casual sex; more sex partners; promiscuous attitudes, behaviors, and desires; tactics to capture mates from others (as in mate poaching); and less relationship authenticity in long-term relationships.
Since this article was released in 2021, the authors noted their full awareness of the rising interest in the Dark Triad—especially narcissism and psychopathy—among the general public. The reason for this is plain to see. The general public now has concise-yet-powerful terminology to apply to the dysfunctional and abusive relationships they’ve been trapped in for years.
This important point is not lost on the authors, as they wrote:
Those characterized by Machiavellianism have a game-playing love style and they play hard-to-get to increase their desirability as a partner. Those characterized by narcissism and psychopathy may have enabling attitudes [toward abuse in the bedroom], engage in sexual coercion, and commit relationship aggression… It appears that those characterized by these traits have a selfish, causal, and even exploitive approach to relationships.
At the end of all of this, the study’s findings point to one important piece of information to consider.
Dark Triad personalities view their romantics attachments fundamentally different from those they are in the relationships with.
They simply don’t really care about their partners or relationships all that much. That’s why ignoring your texts, blocking your number, and pretending you don’t exist is so damn easy.
This post is an edited version of the script for my YouTube video:
Ghosting | A Dark Triad Tactic of Narcissists And Psychopaths?
The YouTube script is adapted from my July 2021 blog post:
Is Ghosting A Common Dark Triad Tactic?
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If you’re interested in learning more about narcissism, toxic relationships, dark personalities, and sexuality, then I highly recommend the books below.
Please consider buying through the provided Amazon Associate links. While the content on my website is yours to read for free, I do appreciate any support offered toward my work.
The reading list includes:
Should I Stay Or Should I Go: Surviving A Relationship With A Narcissist (Dr. Ramani Durvasula)
It’s Not You: Identifying And Healing From Narcissistic People (Dr. Ramani Durvasula)
The Human Magnet Syndrome: The Codependent Narcissist Trap (Dr. Ross Rosenberg)
The Sociopath Next Door (Dr. Martha Stout)
Without Conscience: The Disturbing World Of The Psychopaths Among Us (Dr. Robert D. Hare)
Character Disturbance: The Phenomenon Of Our Age (Dr. George Simon)
In Sheep’s Clothing: Understanding And Dealing With Manipulative People (Dr. George Simon)
Rethinking Narcissism: The Bad—And Surprising Good—About Feeling Special (Dr. Craig Malkin)
Being Homosexual: Gay Men And Their Development ( Dr. Richard Isay)
The Velvet Rage: Overcoming The Pain Of Growing Up Gay In A Straight Man’s World (Dr. Alan Downs)
