Machiavellianism

Machiavellianism, the political theory of the Italian statesman and writer Niccolò Machiavelli (1469–1527), as presented in his best known work, Il Principe (1532; The Prince). The term Machiavellianism is also used more generally to characterize the view that politics is amoral and that ordinarily unscrupulous actions involving deceit, treachery, and violence are thus permissible as effective means of acquiring and maintaining political power. In a related sense, Machiavellian signifies egregiously immoral behaviour that serves one person or group’s self-interest rather than the greater good of a community or country. In psychology and personality theory, Machiavellianism refers to one element of the so-called “dark triad” of related negative personality traits—the other two being narcissism and psychopathy.

Like the other traits of the dark triad, Machiavellianism is marked by emotional coldness, duplicity, and aggressiveness. Typical Machiavellian behaviours and characteristics include the callous manipulation of others for personal gain, the use of other immoral tactics in the pursuit of power within an organization or community, inordinate distrust of others, a desire for revenge in response to others’ perceived wrongful behaviour, and insincere displays of charm and charisma in brief social interactions. Machiavellians lack affective empathy, or the vicarious experience of others’ feelings or emotions, but they are capable of high levels of cognitive empathy, or the ability to understand another person’s mental state. They often use that understanding to manipulate others for their own advantage. Although Machiavellianism is an element of the dark triad, it is not considered a mental disorder in itself, unlike narcissism and psychopathy.