Machiavellianism
Machiavellian redirects here. For the metal band, see Machiavellian (band).Machiavellianism is the term some social and personality
psychologists use to describe a person's tendency to deceive and manipulate others for personal gain. The concept is named after Renaissance diplomat and writer
Niccolò Machiavelli, who wrote
Il Principe (
The Prince). In 1970 Richard Christie and Florence L. Geis developed a test for measuring a person's level of Machiavellianism. This eventually became the MACH-IV test, a twenty-statement personality survey that is now the standard self-assessment tool of Machiavellianism. People scoring above 60 out of 100 on the MACH-IV are considered
high Machs; that is, they endorsed statements such as, "Never tell anyone the real reason you did something unless it is useful to do so," (No. 1) but not ones like, "Most people are basically good and kind" (No. 4). People scoring below 60 out of 100 on the MACH-IV are considered
low Machs; they tend to believe, "There is no excuse for lying to someone else," (No. 7) and, "Most people who get ahead in the world lead clean, moral lives" (No. 11).
High Machs tend to take a more detached, calculating approach in their interaction with other people. They tend to believe most people are concerned only with their own well-being and to depend too much on anyone else is foolish. They believe the best way to get by is to use deception, rewards, promises, flattery, and even punishments to manipulate others into doing their bidding. To them, power may be more important than love.
In terms of
big five personality traits, Machiavellians tend to be low on agreeableness and
conscientiousness.
Some scholars and researchers have attempted to find a correlation between Machiavellianism and
narcissistic personality disorder and
psychopathy. It could be understood that psychopaths and
sociopaths have a similar disposition that could be identified with Machiavellianism, for sociopaths are known for manipulation and conning.
Robert Altemeyer found a correlation between
Social dominance orientation and Machiavellianism.
Low Machs tend to take a more personal, empathic approach in their interaction with other people. They tend to be more trusting of others and more honest. They believe humans are essentially good natured. At the extreme, low Machs are passive, submissive, and highly agreeable.
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Machiavellian intelligence*
Antisocial personality disorder*
Social dominance orientation*
Cynicism*
Egoism*
Narcissism*
Niccolò Machiavelli*
The Prince*
Anti-Machiavel*
Sigmund Freud*
Chanakya*
Paulhus Personality Lab - Dark Triad Abstracts is a collection of research and presentations about the Dark Triad of Machiavellianism, narcissism, and psychopathy.
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Salon Books Machiavelli Personality Test is an interactive version of the MACH-IV test of Machiavellianism.
