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This article is about the psychological trait named Machiavellianism. For the political concept that bears the same name, see Machiavellianism (politics).
| Machiavellianism | |
|---|---|
| Machiavellianism is one of the traits in the dark triad model, along with psychopathy and narcissism. | |
| Specialty | Personality psychology |
| Causes | Genetics and upbringing[1][2] |
In the field of personality psychology, Machiavellianism (sometimes abbreviated as MACH) is the name of a personality trait construct characterized by interpersonal manipulation, indifference to morality, lack of empathy, and a calculated focus on self-interest.[3][4][5][6] Psychologists Richard Christie and Florence L. Geis named the construct after Niccolò Machiavelli, as they used truncated and edited statements inspired by his works to study variations in human behaviors.[7][8][9] Their Mach IV test, a 20-question, Likert-scale personality survey, became the standard self-assessment tool and scale of the Machiavellianism construct. Those who score high on the scale (High Machs) are more likely to have a high level of manipulativeness, deceitfulness and a cynical, unemotional temperament.[10][11]
It is one of the dark triad traits, along with the subclinical versions of narcissism and psychopathy.[12][13][14]