Able versus willing to manipulate partners in romantic relationships

This study extended investigation of the nature of emotional manipulation by examining for the first time the predictors of ability to emotionally manipulate and predictors of willingness to emotionally manipulate romantic partners. Participants (N = 324; 200 females, 124 males) completed an online survey assessing emotional manipulation ability and willingness; Dark Triad traits; Machiavellianism, primary and secondary psychopathy, grandiose and vulnerable narcissism; sadism; and relationship satisfaction. Hypotheses received partial support. For females, higher levels of only grandiose narcissism significantly predicted self-reported emotional manipulation ability, while higher levels of primary psychopathy, grandiose and vulnerable narcissism, and lower relationship satisfaction significantly predicted willingness to emotionally manipulate romantic partner. For males, higher levels of only grandiose narcissism significantly predicted emotional manipulation ability, while higher levels of primary and secondary psychopathy, grandiose narcissism, and sadism positively predicted willingness to emotionally manipulate romantic partner. These findings confirm the distinction between ability to emotionally manipulate and willingness to emotionally manipulate, and inform understanding of the malicious and manipulative use of emotional manipulation within intimate relationships. Future research could utilise behavioural rather than self-report measure of emotional manipulation frequency and different types of romantic relationships (e.g., married) to further clarify the nature of emotional manipulation. It is hoped that findings from this study may help to inform practice in couples therapy.