“Machiavellians are sly, deceptive, distrusting, and manipulative. They are characterized by cynical and misanthropic beliefs, callousness, a striving for … money, power, and status, and the use of cunning influence tactics.
Another example of a leader that has been known to use Machiavellian methods is Vladimir Putin. Often, he has justified questionable actions by claiming that the outcome is beneficial for society. For example, some people see the relationship between Donald Trump, and Putin as inappropriate.
Machiavellianism is a personality trait that denotes cunningness, the ability to be manipulative, and a drive to use whatever means necessary to gain power.
Extraverted, Turbulent Social Engagers agreed the most. Social Engagers tend to be ambitious personalities, both in terms of improving their social status and improving themselves. Ambition can be a good thing, but in extreme cases, it can also be the foundation of a Machiavellian approach to life.
Traits associated with Machiavellianism include duplicity, manipulation, self-interest, and a lack of both emotion and morality. Psychopathy: personality traits associated with psychopathy include a lack of empathy or remorse, antisocial behavior, and being manipulative and volatile.
Machiavellian personality traits are often associated with low levels of empathy and lack of interpersonal closeness. However, some individuals high on Machiavellian traits have been shown to be skilled at affective-perspective taking and thereby may appear to exhibit an empathic response.
Common signs and examples of Machiavellianism
Competing with others rather than cooperating. Manipulating others in order to reach their goals. Luring others into wild behaviour to further their own ends. Making plans for personal benefit with no consideration of their effect on other people.
Manipulation. Machiavellians lie, cheat, and flatter to get their way. They are long-term planners and calculated strategists, able to read people and to use their fears or weaknesses against them. They will bend rules, trick people, and fake sympathy to gain favors, McIntosh says.
Here are a few examples of leaders who fell into the dark side of leadership: Enron leaders deceived regulators with fake holdings and off-the-books accounting practices. They also hid a mountain of debt and toxic assets from their investors and creditors using special-purposes entities.
Machiavellianism is a personality trait that is characterized with the use of manipulation to achieve power. Machiavellianism can be both positive and negative in organizations depending on how it is used.
Such distrust and lack of both integrity and morality may arise when leaders demonstrate Machiavellian behavior because high Mach individuals exhibit elevated levels of increased narcissism (McHoskey, 1995), mistrust and cynicism (McHoskey & Hicks, 1999).
Machiavellianism is not a mental health diagnosis; rather, it's a personality trait describing a manipulative individual who deceives and tricks others to achieve goals. It is based on the political philosophy of the 16th-century writer Niccolò Machiavelli.
Borderline Personality Disorder.
Characterized by a fragile, fluctuating self-image and a profound fear of abandonment, borderlines can be master manipulators. Their controlling behaviors may range from subtle and ingratiating to threatening and violent.
Machiavellianism: Some specific examples of Machiavellian traits include being cunning, ruthless, and amoral. They have little regard for adhering to moral or ethical standards. Not all Machiavellians want attention or admiration—some prefer being in control and “pulling the strings.”
There is probably some genetic predisposition towards callous, selfish, and manipulative personality traits. However, early parental influences and home life are probably the deciding factor.
Machiavelli says: "You can never satisfy the nobles by acting honorably, but you can satisfy the people. Regardless of how a prince comes to power, he should make every effort to win the good will of the people or, in times of trouble, he will have no hope.
One may assume that, at least, Machiavellians at least are happy in their exploitative ways. But the data does not show this to be true. Machiavellians commonly experience depression, paranoia, low self-esteem, and a bevy of other cognitive issues.
Mental abilities
However, other research has established that Machiavellianism is unrelated to IQ. Furthermore, studies on emotional intelligence have found that high Machiavellianism is usually associated with low emotional intelligence as assessed by both performance and questionnaire measures.
Individuals with high levels of Machiavellianism tend to be characterized by a lack of concern for or caring for relationships, ideology, and concerns of conventional morality while at the same time lacking any other gross psychopathology or cognitive deficits (Christie & Geis, 1970; Jones & Paulhus, 2009).
Machiavelli outlines three ways that you can cause not just anger but hatred in another: you take away another person's property, their honor, or their women, you force them to endure a setback in lifestyle, or. you force them to become better people when they do not wish to be (The Prince, 76–77).
There is also evidence that Machiavellian individuals project their own insecure personality to people, preventing them from seeing the best in others.
Dark empathy is characterized by emotional distance disguised as charm and understanding. It is usually motivated by personal gain. Dark empathy is related to the dark triad personality traits. The dark triad refers to the malevolent personality types of narcissism, Machiavellianism, and psychopathy.