Machiavellian leaders are ruthless, cunning and manipulative, with an emphasis on building and maintaining power. They are motivated by personal gain and are not accountable to anyone. They often use fear to control others.
As stated before, many world leaders throughout history have been described as “Machiavellian.” A modern example of a leader that displays these Machiavellian qualities is the President of the Philippines, Rodrigo Duterte. He does not tolerate people rebelling against the law in any way.
Iago: The Machiavellian
Iago personifies evil, which leads to many people's death. Being a Machiavellian means gaining success over other people's downfall, whether politically or psychologically – which he does effectively throughout the play.
People high in Machiavellianism are able to easily switch between working with others to taking advantage of others to achieve their goals, and they are more willing to do things others see as terrible or immoral.
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.
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).
Thus, she is more or less a utilitarian or Machiavellian who banishes from self the issues of morality. Besides bearing the trends of Machiavellianism, Lady Macbeth even exhibits features of bourgeois individualism.
While Tony Soprano and Shakespeare's Macbeth are well-known Machiavellian characters, the man whose name coined the word, Niccolo Machiavelli, did not follow his own pessimistic rule book.
Loki is perhaps the most well known character in popular culture today, who has quite a few traits of a Machiavellian character. The following is a list of the best Machiavellian characters in modern popular culture, often characterised by their lies, cunningness, and lack of moral codes with only their goals in sight.
For example, Christie and Geis (1970) proposed that Machiavellianism consists of two traits: interpersonally manipulative tactics, and a cynical view of human nature.
Machiavellian villains know how to control their emotions and exercise control over those of others; they know how to identify their weaknesses and take advantage of them for their own profit without scruples; for them the emotions of others have no value whatsoever.
The personality trait of Machiavellianism has also been described in contemporary studies of leadership (Judge et al., 2009); within the leadership arena, individuals who score high on Machiavellianism tend to be cunning, manipulative and will use whatever means necessary to gain political power.
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.
Machiavellian leaders with medium or low political skill display reduced transformational behaviors, resulting in dramatically reduced effectiveness. Remarkably, even at medium levels of political skill, we found a negative relationship between Machiavellianism and transformational leadership.
Melfi diagnoses him with antisocial personality disorder (APD)—making him someone who, according to the Mayo Clinic, "consistently shows no regard for right and wrong," "ignores the rights and feelings of others," and shows "no guilt or remorse" for his behavior.
Perhaps his most destructive trait of all, Walt's machiavellian behavior is seen in his ability to manipulate, deceive, and exploit those around him to benefit himself. Walt is especially effective at manipulating Jesse, such as getting him to drop the charges against Hank by offering him a partnership or convincing ...
Melfi concludes that Tony Soprano is a sociopath because he nurtures a strange affection towards animals even though he is a ruthless killer, a cheater, and… well… a mobster.
Hamlet uses manipulation to trick all of the other characters in the play into thinking he is insane. He does this for revenge. Machiavelli would both praise and hate Hamlet for his malicious actions and morality. Unlike many of the other characters in the play, Hamlet has a genuine conscience.
It reveals that Iago and Edmund are Machiavellian because of their capabilities of responding to unexpected events and manipulating conditions ignoring any moral values due to their perspicacity throughout the plays.
In Hamlet, by William Shakespeare, a perfect example of such a character is displayed in Claudius, the New King of Denmark. Claudius performs many deceptive and horrifying acts, which make him the quintessential Machiavellian character.
"Where the willingness is great, the difficulties cannot be great." "There is no other way to guard yourself against flattery than by making men understand that telling you the truth will not offend you." "Every one sees what you appear to be, few really know what you are."
Sebastian de Grazia, writing about this chapter, refers to Machiavelli's precept as the "Un-Golden Rule"—do unto others as you can expect they will do unto you. In this bestial world, princes must act like beasts, imitating the clever fox, instead of relying only on strength, as does the lion.
It is better to be feared than loved, if you cannot be both. If an injury has to be done to a man it should be so severe that his vengeance need not be feared.
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.