Strategic Soothers,Transparent Partners,and Antagonistic Strategists: A Latent Profile Analysis of Romantic Deception

Abstract

The present study used Latent Profile Analysis (LPA) to identify naturally occurring patterns of motives for deception among adults in romantic relationships. Participants were 567 U.S. adults who reported on seven deceptive motives, attachment insecurity, dark personality traits (Machiavellianism, narcissism, psychopathy, and sadism), relational satisfaction, and the tendency to deceive. A three-profile solution emerged. Transparent Partners (38.1%) reported uniformly low endorsement of all motives underlying deception. Strategic Soothers (47.6%) endorsed deception primarily for self-protective and maintenance-oriented reasons, whereas Antagonistic Strategists (14.3%) reported elevated endorsement across all motives, including malicious intent, attention seeking, and sexual avoidance. Profiles differed meaningfully in attachment insecurity, antagonistic personality traits, relational satisfaction, and the tendency to deceive, suggesting that deception reflects distinct motivational patterns linked to different personality configurations and relationship experiences. By identifying motive-based profiles, this study offers a more nuanced and ecologically valid account of how and why deception occurs within romantic relationships.

Keywords

romantic deception latent profile analysis attachment theory dark tetrad

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