Machiavellianism is a personality trait that denotes cunningness, the ability to be manipulative, and a drive to use whatever means necessary to gain power. Machiavellianism is one of the traits that forms the Dark Triad, along with narcissism and psychopathy.
Machiavellians lack empathy and are typically indifferent and detached, Cassine says. Their focus truly is using people to leverage themselves. “A person with these personality traits has a preference for emotionally detached relationships and doesn't desire to form healthy bonds with others.”
From there, the word “Machiavellian” was born, which describes anyone who's scheming, unscrupulous, or cunning. In 1970, psychologists Richard Christie and Florence Geiss identified Machiavellianism as a personality trait involving manipulativeness, deceit, and a cold, calculating, cynical view of others.
Machiavellianism refers to individual differences in manipulativeness, insincerity, and callousness (Christie & Geis, 1970), and has been widely studied in social psychological investigations involving persuasion, leadership, and ethical behaviours.
Research has shown that individuals high on Machiavellian personality traits can display a high level of affective-perspective-taking and a low level of empathy (Barnett and Thompson 1985).
DSM: trait, not disorder
Machiavellianism has never been considered a disorder, nor has it been referenced in any version of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders. It has been treated as strictly a personality construct.
Although Machiavellians appear to have a relatively poor mindreading ability and emotional intelligence, they can efficiently exploit others which is likely to come from their flexible problem solving processes in changing environmental circumstances.
People with Machiavellian personality tend to be highly intelligent. Consequently, they usually have very ambitious goals to which they dedicate lots of time and effort. They usually focus on taking advantage of other people for their own gain.
Bivariate correlation analyses show that Machiavellianism positively predicted Emotional Manipulation and negatively predicted Emotional Intelligence. Emotional manipulation was found to partially mediate the relationship between Machiavellianism and Counterproductive Work Behaviors.
Machiavellians lack empathy and compassion. Generally, they are neither able to identify their own emotions nor recognize those of others, which is part of what enables them to be so willing to do truly anything they deem necessary to achieve their goals, even at other people's expense.
The theory of the dark triad recognizes specific characteristics associated with each personality trait. Thus, Machiavellianism is marked by a tendency toward manipulative behaviour, narcissism by excessive self-importance and grandiosity, and psychopathy by callousness, impulsiveness, and thrill seeking.
Psychologists believe that people develop Machiavellian personality traits due to their upbringing, life experiences, and in some cases, genetic factors.
In particular, men and women with high levels of Machiavellianism prefer emotionally detached relationships and are often reluctant to commit (Ali & Chamorro-Premuzic, 2010). Research has therefore primarily focused on Machiavellianism in the context of short-term sexual rather than long-term committed relationships.
Machiavellianism is a personality trait that denotes cunningness, the ability to be manipulative, and a drive to use whatever means necessary to gain power. Machiavellianism is one of the traits that forms the Dark Triad, along with narcissism and psychopathy.
Narcissism is characterized by grandiosity, pride, egotism, and a lack of empathy. Machiavellianism is characterized by manipulativeness, an indifference to morality, emotional coldness, and a focus on self-interest.
WHAT THE STUDY FOUND. The researchers found that people with high levels of Machiavellian traits were just as likely to bluff as those who did not. But, when they did bluff, they did so in a more extreme way. Machiavellians were also more likely to become angry when they are slow-played.
Although friendships may offer a number of advantages for individuals with higher Machiavellianism scores, such as help in achieving their own goals, we suggest that Machiavellianism will predict lower scores on all six friendship functions.
The antagonistic personality trait Machiavellianism (Mach) should be characterized by duplicity, proclivity to manipulation, cynical disregard of others, long-term planning, and low aggression. Opposed to theoretical descriptions, recent studies revealed links between Mach and neuroticism, impulsivity, and aggression.
The reason of this relation-specific social anxiety of Machiavellian individuals might be the distrust due to the acceptance and appreciation by others and the fear of rejection.
MD. The Dark Triad traits, which include narcissism, psychopathy, and Machiavellianism, are well-known to many. These traits represent distinct forms of maladaptive behavior that can be used to manipulate others. A dark empath possesses high levels of these traits as well as a high level of empathy.
In contrast to narcissists, Machiavellians do not necessarily have to be the center of attention and are satisfied with the role of puppeteer, unobtrusively pulling the strings. Psychopaths “are unlikely to consider the needs and wishes of others and are unafraid of crossing moral boundaries. …
Psychopathic and Machiavellian individuals present deficits in self-conscious emotions, particularly guilt and shame (e.g., Giammarco & Vernon, 2015; Lanciano & Curci, 2019). Despite this, self-disgust is yet to be examined in relation to the dark triad traits.
Treatment for Machiavellianism
They may benefit from family therapy, couples therapy, cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), and other therapeutic approaches. People with the Machiavellian personality trait are often resistant to therapeutic interventions and other forms of mental health treatment.