Machiavellianism and the MACH IV Summer Polson and Travis Yanul February 6, 2008

Overview What is Machiavellianism? Who was Machiavelli? Development and Characteristics MACH IV

What is Machiavellianism? Characterized by a lack of affect in interpersonal relations, a lack of concern with conventional morality, and a view of people as being weak and cowardly A person’s need to develop and defend their power and success

Who is Niccolo Machiavelli? Born May 3, 1469 Died June 21, 1527 High level Italian diplomat Most famous as author of The Prince

The Prince Originally published 1503 Describes the method by which a prince (a ruler) can maintain control of his realm. Most famous principles the end justifies the means unethical behavior is acceptable, maybe even necessary, if it helps maintain or protect political power Some argue that this is not exactly what Machiavelli meant.

Construct Development First Introduced 1970 by Christie and Geis Construct came from research centering on persons of power in organizations and authoritarian personality. MACH IV was originally created to measure the political personality of leaders in organizations.

Four Characteristics of Machiavellianism A relative lack of affect in interpersonal relationships (lack of empathy for others). A lack of concern with conventional morality (utilitarian rather than moral view) supports remorseless and instrumentalist view of others.

Four Characteristics of Machiavellianism A lack of gross psychopathology (instrumentalist rather than rational view of others) unhindered by distortions of reality, able to take a calculated analytical view of others and situations. Low ideological commitment (focus on task completion rather than long-range ideological goals) focus on personal goals instead of caused larger then themselves.

Characteristics of High Machs Resistant to social influence Hides personal convictions well Changes position in argument readily Resistant to confessing Highly convincing when telling the truth Suspicious of others motives Situationally analytical Does not assume reciprocity Able to change strategy with situation Says things others want to hear Sensitive to information about others Exploitive, but not viciously so Exploits more if others cant retaliate Not acceptable to appeals for compliance, cooperation, or attitude change Never obviously manipulative Prefers fluid environment Preferred by peers as leader Preferred by peers as work partner

Characteristics of High Machs Christie and Geis Main difference was that High Machs, compared to Low Machs, relate to others in a manner that characteristically devoid of emotions.

Characteristics of Low Machs Vulnerable to others’ opinion Wears conviction on sleeve Clings to convictions Confesses fairly readily Less convincing when telling the truth Accepts others’ motives as face value Makes gross assumptions about content Assumes reciprocity Believes others “ought to” act in certain ways Becomes locked into single course of action Tells it like it is Sensitive to others’ effort May appear unreasonable in negotiations Reluctant to exploit Reacts in socially desirable ways Often obviously determined Seek stable environment

MACH IV Christie and Geis’ (1970) Mach IV: 1196 college students responded to 71 statements measuring Machiavellian constructs. 20 items with the highest discrimination (i.e., between high and low scorers) at the .05 level chosen for the final Likert format scale.

MACH IV Reliability Initial Reliability Recent Reliability Evidence Measure administered to 9 heterogeneous samples. Obtained split reliability of .79. Recent Reliability Evidence Vast range (.59 - .88) of internal consistency coefficients reported.

MACH IV Validity Examined discriminant and convergent validities: No significant correlation with other measures (i.e., intelligence tests, measures of authoritarianism, political preference, racial attitudes, personality, etc.). Provides support for construct discrimination.

Problems with MACH IV? Respondents answer in socially desirable manner. Some studies have found poor reliability and validity with the general population (Ray, 1983). Studies have found MACH IV to measure a single dimension while others have found the MACH IV to measure up to 5 dimensions (Moss, 2005). Norm data is outdated (from 1960’s). So, how many constructs measured and does this matter? Panitz (1989) states, "The issue is not whether Machiavellianism is a single or multidimensional construct, but whether the construct is measurable using the Mach IV scale" (p. 963).

The Mach IV Scale

Studies Looking at Machiavellianism in the Workplace If political behavior is perceived to benefit the individual, group, or organization then it is believed that the “end justifies the means” (Fedor et al., 2003). Confidence and security, which may result from those who consider themselves politically skilled and subsequently actively involved in the organization, leads to lower job tension and higher job satisfaction (Kolodinsky et al, 2003). Significant relationship found between MACH IV scores and absenteeism. High Mach employees may provide false excuses for absenteeism more often than Low Mach employees (Aziz, 2004).

Other Scales MACH V: Forced-choice format Not as reliable or valid as MACH IV MACH B (Machiavellian Behavior): Behaviorally examines interpersonal situations rather than measuring cognitive constructs Studies have obtained reliability coefficients ranging from .70 to .88. More suitable for measuring political traits

Questions?