Do individuals with maladaptive personality traits find these same traits desirable in potential romantic partners?

Individuals are generally attracted to other people with similar personality traits, but it is unclear whether these patterns replicate for maladaptive personality traits. Accordingly, we examined the association between individuals' own maladaptive personality traits and how desirable they found those traits in a potential romantic partner (N = 334). As hypothesized, individuals with higher levels of maladaptive personality traits rated those traits as being more desirable in a romantic partner. However, the mean desirability ratings of individuals with higher levels of maladaptive traits indicated that they rated these traits as less undesirable than the average participant but not actually desirable. These results suggest that the positive overall associations may reflect these individuals being more willing to settle for these less desirable partners rather than actively seeking them out. Further research examining the mechanisms underlying these patterns and how these choices play out in real world contexts would be valuable.