Award Date

8-1-2022

Degree Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

Department

Psychology

First Committee Member

Stephen Benning

Second Committee Member

Noelle Lefforge

Third Committee Member

Rachael Robnett

Fourth Committee Member

Peter Gray

Number of Pages

125

Abstract

Both attachment styles and personality traits are characterized by enduring patterns of inner experience and behaviors. There are four primary attachment styles: secure, anxious, avoidant, and disorganized. In adult romantic relationships, attachment styles are influenced by the attachment behavioral system, caregiving system, and sexual/reproductive system. In comparison, the Antagonistic Tetrad is a constellation of four overlapping but distinct personality constructs: Machiavellianism, grandiose narcissism, psychopathy, and everyday sadism. These four traits include interpersonal features such as a lack of empathy, aggressiveness, and manipulation. Using a regression-based approach, this research study examined the associations between the Antagonistic Tetrad, adult romantic attachment styles, and relationship factors (caregiving, sexuality, love styles) after adjusting for gender, relationship status, and sexual identity. Results indicated that antagonistic personality traits were related to increased sexual attitudes and desire along with controlling caregiving. Members of the Antagonistic Tetrad also predicted a lack of proximity maintenance in romantic relationships. Attachment styles indirectly affected the relationships between Machiavellianism and relationship factors most consistently. Overall, these findings provide insight into which antagonistic personality traits may be amenable to attachment-based psychotherapy interventions.

Keywords

Antagonistic Tetrad; Antagonistic Triad; Attachment; Attachment Styles; Dark Tetrad; Dark Triad

Disciplines

Psychology

File Format

pdf

File Size

2100 KB

Degree Grantor

University of Nevada, Las Vegas

Language

English

Rights

IN COPYRIGHT. For more information about this rights statement, please visit http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/

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Psychology Commons

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