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).