Association between acceptance of the myths of romantic love and
abusive behaviors
A significant relationship was found between the myths of romantic love
concerning to jealousy and behavior intended to undermine the partner’s
self-esteem, such as ridiculing their physical appearance, ideas,
tastes, and beliefs (χ2 (1, N = 66) = 5.588,p = .018; V = .344), pressuring the SO to do things that
made them uncomfortable (χ2 (1, N = 70) = 6.37,p = .012; V = .365), underestimate the achievements of
their SO (χ2 (1, N = 64) = 4.541, p =
.033; V = .364), and isolating their SO (χ2 (1,N = 66) = 5.43, p = .020; V = .424). Participants
who feared an imbalance of affection had 8.15 times the risk for their
SO to ridicule them and 3.64 times the risk of being underestimated.
Participants who prioritized the needs and well-being of their SO over
their own showed up to four times the risk of letting their SO decide
for them, three times the risk of suffering controlling behavior, and
six times the risk of having their SO criticize them (Table 3).