Motivation and emotion/Book/2026/Machiavellian motivation

Machiavellian motivation:
What is the motivational role of Machiavellianism?

Overview

Imagine this...

You are placed in a group project with a fellow psychology student, Darren, and two others, where marks are allocated individually based on contribution. Darren volunteers to "coordinate" the group, giving him total control over task distribution. You have noticed that he assigns easy, visible tasks to himself while giving complex, time-consuming tasks to the more reserved group members. When presenting the project, he emphasises his organisational role and subtly frames others' contributions, including yours, as less significant. The lecturer perceives him as the group leader. How would you feel? Would you think of this as a conscious or subconscious act?

author note: I believe the target audience for this chapter are Uni students (?) which is why I wanted to situate the readers in something they may be able to relate to. If not this scenario is very basic that most individuals are able to relate to it. [The target audience is a global audience, so consider making the example more applicable in that context.]

author note: this overview is terribly cluttered at the moment, just jotting down notes/info I want to mention at the start then re-structuring it when I find it flows well from one point to the next

It is important to understand dark-side traits in organisational and academic performance
Fig. 1: the death of Niccolo Machiavelli coincided with a profound moment of crisis in Italy, and immediately preceded the widespread dissemination of his work; he died having never seen his most famous work (The Prince), his realism, institutional thinking, and trust in the people further reveal a philosophy oriented toward popular participation, civic liberty and resistance to elite domination (Wills, 2021) [probably better off linking out to this detail in a Wikipedia article]
The concept of Machiavellian Motivation [use lower case for motivation], the core definition, machiavellianism as a personality trait - defined as using manipulation against other people's interests to achieve one's own personal goal (Aldousari & Ickes, 2021)
the central argument, what does the chapter say/prove about machiavellianism [use upper case for Machiavellianism] : Sprangler & Tikhomirov (2025) argue that Machiavellian leaders embody "personal power"; self-focused, dominance-oriented motive that drives strategic manipulation and short-term effectiveness, and in contrast, "socialised power" leaders channel influence toward collective benefit, producing ethical sustainable organisational outcomes
drawing on the Dark Triad framework, self-determination theory, human motivation theory
motivational mechanisms, contextual application - refer back to scenario????, evidence, chapter structure

Recommended length: 180 to 330 words.

Focus questions

How has Machiavellianism developed conceptually as a motivational construct?
What are the motivational characteristics of Machiavellianism as a trait?
What core motives drive Machiavellian individuals?
How do Machiavellian motives translate into behavioural strategies?

Origins and conceptual development of machiavellianism

FQ: How has Machiavellianism developed conceptually as a motivational construct?

author note: I am aware some of these sources are not peer-reviewed sources, these are just preliminary.

"Men are driven by necessity, and he who seeks to deceive will always find someone who will allow himself to be deceived" (Machiavelli, 1532/2017) [APA style - direct quotes need page numbers.]
"Men are driven by two principal impulses, either by love or by fear" (Machiavelli, 1532/2017) - Machiavelli believed a ruler should ideally be both, but since human beings are unreliable, love is a weak foundation for authority.

Philosophical Roots -> Historical and theoretical foundations

Philosophies for Life. (2024): Niccolo Machiavelli - referred to as the "father of modern political philosophy", wrote the novel 'The Prince'
- separated politics from ethics
- he believed people are naturally self-interested and unreliable
- 'virtu' = skill, cleverness (courage, wisdom, decisiveness) / 'fortuna' = luck, chance
- "perception is everything"
Machiavellianism became a negative concept because readers (public & religious reactions) misinterpreted Niccolo Machiavelli's 16th century political manual, The Prince, as an endorsement of deceit rather than a realistic portrayal of how power worked (MR. BRAIN, 2025) - Machiavelli's treatment of mortality is one of the most controversial aspects of his thought, 'the ends justify the means'
He rejected the view of state existing to cultivate virtue and the good life, insisting that politics had to be considered/understood on its own terms guided by history and human psychology rather than religious doctrine or idealised notions of justice - he is often credited as an early voice of Secularism (Britannica) in Western political thought (Kumar, 2025)

Core pillars on his political thought = Power, manipulation and strategic pragmatism (Kumar, 2025)
"This is to be asserted in general of men, that they are ungrateful, fickle, false, cowardly, covetous" (Machiavelli, 1532/2017)
"The lion cannot defend itself against snares and the fox cannot defend itself against wolves" (Machiavelli, 1532/2017)
Connell (2022) blended intellectual history with biographical reconstruction to show how Machiavelli's end-of-life circumstances refract his lifelong preoccupation with power, fortune, and human nature

Evolution into a motivational trait

Transition to Modern Psychology -> Integration into modern personality models

Machiavellianism as a Spectrum Trait - Persson & Kajonius (2017) provide definitive evidence that Machiavellianism is a spectrum trait; it varies continuously across individuals, with graded differences in cynicism, manipulation, and emotional detachment. It is dimensional and measurable, not categorical.
Integration into the dark triad framework
- Paulhus & Williams (2002) establish the Dark Triad as a unified but differentiated framework of socially aversive personality; Machiavellianism, Narcissism personality disorder (Wikiversity), and Psychopathy (Wikipedia) share a manipulative, callous interpersonal cure but diverge sharply in impulsivity, self-presentation, and strategic orientation
- Rauthmann (2012) identified stable behavioural signatures of Machiavellianism (manipulation, strategic planning, etc.) and provided structural evidence that Machiavellianism is a coherent trait, not a behavioural tendency

Empirical Foundations -> Shift toward a motivational construct

Christie & Geis (1970) reached their conclusions by observing real manipulative behaviour, identifying the attitudes that predicted it, and using factor analysis to build a coherent trait scale.
- They developed the Mach-IV Scale (MACH-IV: Machiavellianism Test), foundational self-report instrument for measuring Machiavellianism in non-clinical population, operationalising Machiavellianism as a strategic and cynical interpersonal orientation, capturing both beliefs about human nature and preferred interpersonal tactics
Establishing Machiavellianism as a Measurable Trait
- Dahling et al. (2009) demonstrated that Machiavellianism is a measurable, multidimensional trait in workplace setting through their Workplace Machiavellianism Scale; which provides strong psychometric evidence that Machiavellianism is a stable dispositional construct, not merely a situational tactic

Trait-based motivational tendencies of machiavellianism

FQ: What are the motivational characteristics of Machiavellianism as a trait?

author note: this section, at most, is only at a fundamental level and I am still planning on breaking down into further subsections. the information/cites provided are only preliminary.

Wilson et al. (1997) stated that Machiavellianism became a term of interest in evolutionary psychology

it has been argued that manipulative behaviour is not a single trait but rather a complex set of traits that cannot be captured by a single scale
the article argues that Machiavellianism is an adaptive, context-sensitive strategy shaped by evolutionary pressures and expressed through psychological mechanisms that favour manipulation; its effectiveness may depend on environmental context and population dynamics
Evolutionary theory explains why the trait exists

Dark Triad Framework

Veselka et al. (2012) show that the Dark Triad is best understood through the HEXACO model (see Fig. 2), where low Honesty-Humility forms the common foundation and additional trait combinations differentiate machiavellianism, psychopathy, and narcissism

Cognitive architecture of machiavellian motivation

Core Personality Characteristics (Nature of Personality)

Machiavellianism strongly reflects low H-H in Ashton & Lee's (2007) HEXACO model; characterised by exploitation, entitlement, and manipulation
Christie & Geis (1970) stated machiavellians demonstrated strategic, calculating pragmatism, or the preference for instrumental, goal-focused reasoning over moral or relational considerations
High cognitive empathy and low affective empathy, or the ability to understand others' perspectives without emotional resonance (Wai & Tiliopoulos, 2012)

Affective and Cognitive Style (Feeling & Thoughts)

Blunted moral emotions facilitate manipulation; low guilt, remorse and affective responsiveness (Ali & Chamorro-Premuzic, 2010)
Machiavellians relies on controlled processing rather than intuitive empathy; analytical social cognition (Jones & Paulhus, 2011)
Grieve & Mahar (2010) found they suppressed or modulated emotional displays to maintain influence; emotion regulation for strategi ends

Instrumental and controlled goal orientation

Interpersonal Orientation (In relation to others)

Dahling et al. (2008) discussed machiavellians to be skilled in navigating organisational politics and coalition building
Exploitative, transactional relational approach; wherein they only engage in relationships when instrumental returns are high (Kiazad et al., 2010)
They use charm, deception, and impression management to achieve goals revealing a manipulative interpersonal style (Christie & Geis, 1970; Jones & Paulhus, 2009)
White et al. (2024) found that machiavellianism is a meaningful predictor of intimate partner violence, particularly psychological and coercive forms
Blötner & Bergold (2023) show that cyberbullying is particularly appealing to Machiavellians because it allows them to harm other strategically while avoiding detection

Self-Determination Theory

Three basic psychological needs: Autonomy, relatedness, competence (Deci & Ryan, 2000).

McHoskey (1999) shows that Machiavellianism reflects a motivation profile dominated by extrinsic goals, low social interest, and controlled regulation

Extrinsic Orientation (Relatedness)

Instrumental Motivation; Blötner & Bergold (2022b) demonstrated that Machiavellianism contains both approach-oriented manipulation and avoidance-oriented distrust. These facets jointly determine whether Machiavellians choose to deceive, defend, or strategically oscillate between both behaviours
External Self-concept motivation
Moss & Barbuto Jr. (2004) demonstrated that Machiavellians seek control and status using coercive, indirect and strategic tactics to influence others rather than rational or inspirational methods

Autonomy and Low Affiliation (and Competence)

Rauthmann (2012) found that Machiavellians prefer autonomy, independence, and emotional distance
- showing low affiliative motivation and avoiding relational dependence

Wilson et al. (1996) demonstrated that Machiavellians show low need for closeness and exhibits high competence-related self-efficacy
Similarly, McHoskey (1995) reported low affiliation needs and high agentic motives such as power, control, and competence

Core motives of machiavellian individuals

FQ: What core motives drive Machiavellian individuals?

David McClelland's (1965) Human Motivation Theory and Deci and Ryan's (2000) Self-Determination Theory together show that Machiavellians act the way they do because:

they are power-motivated (Human Motivation Theory) and extrinsically driven (SDT)
they pursue goals that increase control, status, and advantage, not intrinsic satisfaction
they avoid emotional closeness because affiliation and relatedness undermine strategic autonomy
they invest in competence and achievement only when it enhances influence
their motivational system is instrumental and contex-sensitive, not prosocial or self-expressive

Approach motives: power, control, and strategic gain

Human Motivation Theory

McClelland's (1965) Human Motivation Theory: Achievement, Affiliation, Power

Power and Control – power motivation? - Power (nPow)

Machiavellianism is positively associated with self-efficacy and job performance when individuals believe they can control outcomes, suggesting that feeling capable amplifies their motivation to pursue self-interested goals (Hafeez et al., 2024)
Closely linked to Power motivation (Power motivation, 2013) - people who are high machs view dominance and control as core personal objectives (Christie & Geis, 1970)
Szabo et al. (2023) identify power motivation as a central driver of Machiavellian work behaviour, part of their broader pattern of controlled, extrinsic, strategic motivation, which distinguishes Machiavellianism from the other Dark Triad traits.
Aldousari & Ickes (2021) found a positive correlation between machiavellianism and an external locus of control, which reflects a worldview where powerful others and situational forces dictate outcomes. This fuels the belief system that Machiavellians' relies on manipulation and strategic behaviour as compensatory mechanisms for perceive lack of personal control

Reward Sensitivity - Achievement (nAch)

Buravlova (2026) demonstrates that Machiavellianism is neurally characterised by string reward sensitivity and high execute control, enabling calculated manipulation and strategic social behaviours
Mercadante et al. (2026) show that managers sometimes evaluate dark-trait subordinates positively because these individuals facilitate agentic, performance-oriented goals; machiavellianism being especially rewarded due to its reward-sensitive, achievement-oriented profile
Birkás et al. (2016) demonstrate that Machiavellianism is characterised by high reward sensitivity, low punishment sensitivity, and strategic risk-taking, aligning closely with achievement motivation (nAch) and explains Machiavellians' opportunistic, reward-driven behaviour

Avoidance motives and manipulation self-efficacy

Social cognitive theory self-efficacy

Behavioural expression of machiavellian motivation

FQ: How do Machiavellian motives translate into behavioural strategies?

author note: this section, at most, is only at a fundamental level and I am still planning on breaking down into further subsections. the information/cites provided are only preliminary.

Personality psychology through organisational behaviours to decision-making research underpins how machiavellian tendencies scale upward.
Jahangir et al. (2024) show that Machiavellianism is supported by a coherent psychological and neural profile" emotionally detached, strategically cognitive, clinically antagonistic, and nerually biased toward executive control over emotional processing

Strategic social influence - interpersonal behaviours

Strategic Calculation

Long-term Planning; This multidimensional evidence from Jahangir et al. (2024) reinforces the view of Machiavellianism as a cold, calculated social strategt rather than an impulsive or purely antisocial trait
Strategic Opacity - machiavellianism shapes decision-making not only through individual traits but through team dynamics and organisational structures as well, it is a systemic force that influences how information flows, how power is distributed and how strategic decisions are made within organisations (Matthews et al., 2022)
Calculated Manipulation; Gao et al. (2025) show that antagonistic Machiavellians achieve greater promotability not because their antagonism is inherently valued, but because certain organisational contexts reward political behaviour and misinterpret strategic self-presentation as leadership potential

Instrumental Sociability

Social Acuity; Jones (2016) shows that machiavellians misbehave in ways that are planned, covert and opportunistic. Their antisocial behaviour is a strategic tool for achieving personal gain, not an impulsive or emotional reaction
Transactional Relationships
Utilitarian Focus; Genau et al. (2021) found that machiavellian leaders are effective only when they possess high political skill, acting as 'social lubricant' allowing machiavellian tendencies to be expressed in socially acceptable and effective ways. Without it, machiavellianism leads to dysfunctional and distrust-based leadership.

Context-shaped opportunistic behaviour - decision-making and situational behaviours

Deception and Leverage

Geis & Moon (1981) show that Machiavellian individuals deceive because it is instrumentally useful, emotionally easy, and cognitively manageable. Their deception is deliberate and aimed at securing advantage rather that driven by impulse or malice.
Furthermore, Blötner & Bergold's (2022a) central finding is that Machiavellian individuals are skilled "bullshit (persuasive statements made without regard for truth) producers", but not reliably more resistant to bullshit themselves

Emotional Detachment; Gao & Fang (2025) found that Machiavellianism harms adolescent wellbeing not through direct emotional distress, but through its interpersonal consequences: reduced prosocial behaviour, increased loneliness, and heightened suicidal risk
Delayed Gratification; Bratu et al. (2025) show that machiavellianism undermines academic performance because it promotes extrinsic motivation strategic lying, and low genuine engagement with learning. Machiavellian students pursue grades instrumentally rather than through mastery, which makes deception a functional (though academically harmful) strategy

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Conclusion

Machiavellianism is a measurable, multidimensional spectrum trait supported by decades of psychometric work, from the Mach-IV to modern taxometric analyses confirming its continuous latent structure
Across behavioural, motivational, and neural evidence, Machiavellianism consistently aligns with high autonomy, low affiliation, and instrumental competence.
- This forms a cold, agentic, interpersonal strategy oriented toward control and reward acquisition
Empirical studies show that Machiavellians' reward sensitivity, strategic cognition, and emotional detachment hointly produce stable patterns of manipulation and opportunism, reinforcing the trait;s coherence across contexts.

References

Aldousari, S. S., & Ickes, W. (2021). How is Machiavellianism related to locus of control?: A meta-analytic review. Personality and Individual Differences, 174, 110677. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.paid.2021.110677

Ali, F., & Chamorro-Premuzic, T. (2010). Investigating Theory of Mind deficits in nonclinical psychopathy and Machiavellianism. Personality and Individual Differences, 49(3), 169–174. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.paid.2010.03.027

Ashton, M. C., & Lee, K. (2007). Empirical, Theoretical, and Practical Advantages of the HEXACO Model of Personality Structure. Personality and Social Psychology Review, 11(2), 150–166. https://doi.org/10.1177/1088868306294907

Beller, J., & Bosse, S. (2017). Machiavellianism has a dimensional latent structure: Results from taxometric analyses. Personality and Individual Differences, 113, 57–62. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.paid.2017.03.014

Birkás, B., Csathó, Á., Gács, B., & Bereczkei, T. (2015). Nothing ventured nothing gained: Strong associations between reward sensitivity and two measures of Machiavellianism. Personality and Individual Differences, 74, 112–115. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.paid.2014.09.046

Blötner, C., & Bergold, S. (2022a). It is double pleasure to deceive the deceiver: Machiavellianism is associated with producing but not necessarily with falling for bullshit. British Journal of Social Psychology, 62(1), 467–485. https://doi.org/10.1111/bjso.12559

Blötner, C., & Bergold, S. (2022b). To be fooled or not to be fooled: Approach and avoidance facets of Machiavellianism. Psychological Assessment, 34(2), 147–158. https://doi.org/10.1037/pas0001069

Blötner, C., & Bergold, S. (2023). The Machiavellian bully revisited: A closer look at differences and processes of Machiavellian bullying and cyberbullying perpetration. Aggressive Behavior, 49(6), 568–579. https://doi.org/10.1002/ab.22095

Bratu, M. L., Rosca, L. I., & Rosca, N. A. (2025). Machiavellianism, Lying, and Motivation as Predictors of Academic Performance in Romanian Engineering Students. Education Sciences, 15(8), 1028. https://doi.org/10.3390/educsci15081028

Buravlova, A. (2026). The manipulation map: How the Dark Triad shapes the brain. Psychiatry Research: Neuroimaging, 360, 112227. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pscychresns.2026.112227

Christie, R., & Geis, F. L. (1970). Studies in Machiavellianism. Academic Press.

Connell, W. (2022). The Secretary’s Last Rites: Machiavelli On His Deathbed. Machiavelliana, 1, Pp. 61-80 . https://doi.org/10.19272/202216101003

Dahling, J. J., Whitaker, B. G., & Levy, P. E. (2008). The Development and Validation of a New Machiavellianism Scale. Journal of Management, 35(2), 219–257. https://doi.org/10.1177/0149206308318618

Gao, K., & Fang, F. (2025). Longitudinal impact of machiavellianism on adolescent prosocial behavior and suicidal risk: the role of hope and loneliness. BMC psychology, 13(1), 493. https://doi.org/10.1186/s40359-025-02796-9

Gao, R., Liu, B., Zhao, M., & Zhao, Y. (2025). When and how do antagonistic Machiavellians achieve greater promotability. Personality and Individual Differences, 241, 113180. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.paid.2025.113180

Geis, F. L., & Moon, T. H. (1981). Machiavellianism and deception. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 41(4), 766–775. https://doi.org/10.1037/0022-3514.41.4.766

Genau, H. A., Blickle, G., Schütte, N., & Meurs, J. A. (2021). Machiavellian Leader Effectiveness. Journal of Personnel Psychology, 21(1), 1–10. https://doi.org/10.1027/1866-5888/a000284

Grieve, R., & Mahar, D. (2010). The emotional manipulation–psychopathy nexus: Relationships with emotional intelligence, alexithymia and ethical position. Personality and Individual Differences, 48(8), 945–950. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.paid.2010.02.028

Hafeez, S., Qadeer, F., John, A., Iqbal, A., & Sarmad, I. (2024). Mach Mechanics: How Self-Efficacy Drives Machiavelli's Job Performance. Journal of Xi'an Shiyou University, Natural Science Edition, 20(7). http://xisdxjxsu.asia/ISSN:1673-064X

Jahangir, M., Shah, S. M., Zhou, J. S., Lang, B., & Wang, X. P. (2025). Machiavellianism: Psychological, Clinical, and Neural Correlations. The Journal of Psychology, 159(3), 155–168. https://doi.org/10.1080/00223980.2024.2382243

Jones, D. N. (2016). The nature of Machiavellianism: Distinct patterns of misbehavior. In V. Zeigler-Hill & D. K. Marcus (Eds.), The dark side of personality: Science and practice in social, personality, and clinical psychology (pp. 87–107). American Psychological Association. https://doi.org/10.1037/14854-005

Jones, D. N., & Paulhus, D. L. (2009). Machiavellianism. In M. R. Leary & R. H. Hoyle (Eds.), Handbook of individual differences in social behavior (pp. 93–108). The Guilford Press.

Jones, D. N., & Paulhus, D. L. (2011). The role of impulsivity in the Dark Triad of personality. Personality and Individual Differences, 51(5), 679–682. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.paid.2011.04.011

Kiazad, K., Restubog, S. L. D., Zagenczyk, T. J., Kiewitz, C., & Tang, R. L. (2010). In pursuit of power: The role of authoritarian leadership in the relationship between supervisors’ Machiavellianism and subordinates’ perceptions of abusive supervisory behavior. Journal of Research in Personality, 44(4), 512–519. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jrp.2010.06.004

Kumar, P. (2025, September 19). The Core of Machiavelli’s Political Thought: Power and Pragmatism. Political Science Institute. https://polsci.institute/western-political-thought/machiavelli-political-thought-power-pragmatism/

Machiavelli, N. (2017). The Prince (W. K. Marriott, Trans.). AmazonClassics. (Original work published 1532)

Matthews, M. J., Kelemen, T. K., Matthews, S. H., & Matthews, J. M. (2022). The Machiavellian Organization: A Multilevel Model to Understand Decision Making in Organizations. Group & Organization Management, 47(2), 413–439. https://doi.org/10.1177/10596011221081281

McClelland, D. C. (1965). Toward a theory of motive acquisition. American Psychologist, 20(5), 321–333. https://doi.org/10.1037/h0022225

McHoskey, J. (1995). Narcissism and Machiavellianism. Psychological Reports, 77(3, Pt 1), 755–759. https://doi.org/10.2466/pr0.1995.77.3.755

McHoskey, J. W. (1999). Machiavellianism, Intrinsic Versus Extrinsic Goals, and Social Interest: A Self-Determination Theory Analysis. Motivation and Emotion, 23(4), 267–283. https://doi.org/10.1023/a:1021338809469

Mercadante, E., Aquino, K., Heine, S., & Skarlicki, D. (2026). Why some managers might positively evaluate subordinates with dark personality traits. Journal of Managerial Psychology, 41(3), 458–474. https://doi.org/10.1108/JMP-11-2024-0895.

Moss, J. A., & Barbuto, J. E. (2004). Machiavellianism’s Association with Sources of Motivation and Downward Influence Strategies. Psychological Reports, 94(3), 933–943. https://doi.org/10.2466/pr0.94.3.933-943

MR. BRAIN. (2025, April 22). The Dark Truth About Human Nature You Refuse to See | Machiavelli [Video]. Youtube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J9O5lk87z3E ‌ Paulhus, D. L., & Williams, K. M. (2002). The Dark Triad of personality: Narcissism, Machiavellianism and psychopathy. Journal of Research in Personality, 36(6), 556–563. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0092-6566(02)00505-6

Philosophies for Life. (2024, November 26). Niccolò Machiavelli - 6 Powerful Ways to Command Instant Respect (and Never Be Weak Again) [Video]. Youtube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w5nJ4XIHv5Q&t=1s

Rauthmann, J. F. (2012). The Dark Triad and interpersonal perception: Similarities and differences in the social consequences of narcissism, Machiavellianism, and psychopathy. Social Psychological and Personality Science, 3(4), 487–496. https://doi.org/10.1177/1948550611427608

Ryan, R. M., & Deci, E. L. (2000). Self-determination theory and the facilitation of intrinsic motivation, social development, and well-being. American Psychologist, 55(1), 68–78. https://doi.org/10.1037/0003-066X.55.1.68

Spangler, W., & Tikhomirov, A. (2025). Personal power v. socialized power: What Machiavelli and St. Francis can tell us about modern CEOs. https://doi.org/10.64628/aai.h3apd3ujx

Szabó, Z. P., Diller, S. J., Czibor, A., Restás, P., Jonas, E., & Frey, D. (2023). “One of these things is not like the others”: The associations between dark triad personality traits, work attitudes, and work-related motivation. Personality and Individual Differences, 205, 112098. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.paid.2023.112098

Veselka, L., Schermer, J. A., & Vernon, P. A. (2012). The Dark Triad and an expanded framework of personality. Personality and Individual Differences, 53(4), 417–425. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.paid.2012.01.002

Wai, M., & Tiliopoulos, N. (2012). The affective and cognitive empathic nature of the dark triad of personality. Personality and Individual Differences, 52(7), 794–799. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.paid.2012.01.008

White, L. K., Valos, N., Xochitl, & Willis, M. L. (2024). Machiavellianism and Intimate Partner Violence Perpetration: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. Trauma Violence & Abuse, 25(5). https://doi.org/10.1177/15248380241270027

Wills, M. (2021, November). Machiavelli, Prince of…Democracy? JSTOR Daily. https://daily.jstor.org/machiavelli-prince-of-democracy/

Wilson, D. S., Near, D., & Miller, R. R. (1996). Machiavellianism: A synthesis of the evolutionary and psychological literatures. Psychological Bulletin, 119(2), 285–299. https://doi.org/10.1037/0033-2909.119.2.285

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