The broad array of sexually themed insults on social media represents a distinct form of online aggression that is consistently linked to Dark Triad/Tetrad personality traits.

Among all of these traits psychopathy, which is marked by low empathy, impulsivity, and thrill‑seeking, is one of the strongest predictors of online harassment.²⁰,²¹ Psychopathic traits correlate strongly with trolling, cyberbullying, and sexually aggressive online commenting.

Introduction

Sexually themed insults such as gendered slurs, sexualized degradation, and sexually explicit threats, are a pervasive component of online harassment. Unlike general profanity, sexualized insults carry culturally embedded meanings intended to reinforce gender norms, mock and reject, assert dominance, and inflict humiliation.

Research across multiple disciplines demonstrates that individuals who use such language online tend to exhibit elevated aggression, hostility, and dominance‑oriented motivations in other aspects of their lives.¹⁻³ These behaviors are further shaped by personality traits associated with the Dark Triad and Dark Tetrad, including narcissism, Machiavellianism, psychopathy, and sadism.⁴⁻⁸

Drivers of Sexualized Online Insults

Aggression & Hostility

A consistent theme across studies is that sexualized insults are deployed as tools of aggression and social control. Research on cyberbullying and online aggression shows that perpetrators often act from anger, perceived threat, or a desire to punish disagreement.¹,² Harassment behaviors, including sexualized forms, serve to assert dominance, retaliate against perceived slights, or silence opposing viewpoints.³

Psychological analyses of verbal aggression further indicate that such insults are driven by emotional dysregulation, hostility, and attempts to diminish another person’s social standing.² These findings align with broader models of reactive aggression, in which individuals respond to perceived provocation with impulsive hostility.

Power Moves

Sexual insults are not random linguistic choices; they are culturally loaded tools designed to shock, degrade, and signal boundary violation. Research on taboo language and technology‑facilitated sexual violence demonstrates that sexualized insults carry heightened emotional force and are strategically used to humiliate or reassert dominance.⁵,⁶ These behaviors often emerge in contexts where perpetrators perceive a violation of gender norms or social expectations.

Gender Norm Policing

Studies of sexist slurs on social media show that sexualized insults overwhelmingly target women and gender‑nonconforming individuals, functioning as mechanisms for enforcing traditional gender norms.⁶ Perpetrators frequently act as self‑appointed enforcers of gender roles, using sexualized language to punish women who express opinions or behaviors that challenge patriarchal expectations.

Defensive Aggression and Threatened Identities

Gendered harassment is often triggered by perceived threats to worldview or status. Research on technology‑facilitated sexual violence indicates that perpetrators may lash out with sexualized insults when they feel their identity or social position is challenged.⁶ This aligns with broader theories of defensive aggression and motivated reasoning.

Adolescents and Emerging Adults

Adolescents exhibit distinct patterns of online aggression, including impulsivity, peer reinforcement motives, and reduced empathy.⁹ Studies examining Dark Tetrad traits in adolescents show that these traits predict cyberbullying and trolling behaviors, mirroring patterns observed in adults but often with greater impulsivity and social susceptibility.¹⁰ These developmental factors help explain why younger users may be disproportionately represented in certain forms of online sexual harassment.

Personality Predictors: The Dark Tetrad

Narcissism

Narcissistic traits, particularly grandiosity and entitlement, predict retaliatory aggression when individuals feel criticized or disrespected.¹⁶ Narcissistic individuals are more likely to engage in cyberbullying through moral disengagement, justifying harmful behavior to protect their self‑concept.¹⁷

Machiavellianism

Machiavellianism is characterized by strategic manipulation and calculated hostility. Individuals high in this trait use harassment as a tool for social control, influence, or punishment.¹⁸,¹⁹ Their behavior tends to be deliberate rather than impulsive.

Psychopathy

Psychopathy is marked by low empathy, impulsivity, and thrill‑seeking and is one of the strongest predictors of online harassment.²⁰,²¹ Psychopathic traits correlate with trolling, cyberbullying, and sexually aggressive online comments.

Sadism

Sadism, the fourth component of the Dark Tetrad, is uniquely predictive of online cruelty.²² Sadistic individuals derive pleasure from causing suffering and are disproportionately represented in trolling and coordinated harassment campaigns.²³

Sadistic and psychopathic individuals experience reward activation when causing distress, making digital environments particularly reinforcing for their behavior.³¹

Across disciplines, research converges on a clear picture: sexually themed insults online are not random acts of rudeness but predictable expressions of aggression, dominance, and gendered power enforcement. These behaviors are strongly associated with Dark Triad/Tetrad personality traits, emotional reactivity, and sociocultural norms surrounding gender and sexuality.

References

¹ Zhang, S., Wang, J., Gan, X., & Pu, J. (2025). From Online Aggression to Offline Silence: A Longitudinal Examination of Bullying Victimization, Dark Triad Traits, and Cyberbullying. Behavioral Sciences, 15(11), 1583. https://doi.org/10.3390/bs15111583

² Gholami, M., Thornberg, R., Kabiri, S., & Yousefvand, S. (2025). From Dark Triad Personality Traits to Digital Harm: Mediating Cyberbullying Through Online Moral Disengagement. Deviant Behavior. https://doi.org/10.1080/01639625.2025.2453445

³ Ibid.

⁴ Zhang et al., 2025.

⁵ Gunnoo, A., Jackson, M., & Saling, L. (2024/2025). The Dark Triad, Dating App Use and Online Disinhibition Positively Predict Technology‑Facilitated Sexual Violence Perpetration. Journal of Criminology, 58(1), 70–85. https://doi.org/10.1177/26338076241254844

⁶ Ibid.

⁷ Ibid.

⁸ Ibid.

⁹ Alavi, M., Garg, A., & Wanigatunga, N. (2025). The Relationships Between Dark Tetrad Traits and Adolescent Cyberbullying and Cybertrolling. Discover Psychology, 5, Article 29. https://doi.org/10.1007/s44202-025-00129-9

¹⁰ Ibid.

¹¹ Zhang et al., 2025.

¹² Gunnoo et al., 2024/2025.

¹³ Al‑Saliti, R. A. M. N., & Fathy, A. (2025). Exploring the Relationship Between Cyberbullying and the Dark Triad Among University Students. Educational Process International Journal. https://doi.org/10.22521/edupij.2025.17.305

¹⁴ Gholami et al., 2025.

¹⁵ Zhang et al., 2025.

¹⁶ Gholami et al., 2025.

¹⁷ Ibid.

¹⁸ Al‑Saliti & Fathy, 2025.

¹⁹ Ibid.

²⁰ Zhang et al., 2025.

²¹ Alavi et al., 2025.

²² Buckels, E. E., Trapnell, P. D., & Paulhus, D. L. (2014). Trolls Just Want to Have Fun. Personality and Individual Differences, 67, 97–102. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.paid.2013.12.016

²³ Ibid.

²⁴ Zhang et al., 2025.

²⁵ Buckels et al., 2014.

²⁶ Gunnoo et al., 2024/2025.

²⁷ Buckels et al., 2014.

²⁸ Al‑Saliti & Fathy, 2025.

²⁹ Alavi et al., 2025.

³⁰ Gholami et al., 2025.

³¹ Buckels et al., 2014.