Machiavellian People, Or When The End Justifies The Means
For Machiavellian people, the best way to manipulate their peers is to flatter them and tell them whatever they want to hear. There is in this personality profile a deep emotional detachment combined with a cynical attitude and a charismatic character, making them great masters of manipulation and fraud. In short, they correspond to profiles of emotional partners at high risk.
Anyone who has read The Prince of Machiavelli will certainly recognize these characteristics which mark, one by one, the features of Machiavellian people. The people to whom the classic 16th century philosopher and politician gave his name through his work. Recall, for example, that Machiavelli himself said about anyone in such a position of power: they override virtues such as honesty whenever deception or betrayal allows them to achieve targeted objective.
But Machiavellian people do not need to read Machiavelli to feel (according to them) that the end justifies the means. It is also not necessary to be in politics to use these types of strategies. The m achiav élisme is a trait common enough personality and confirms often what is known in clinical psychology as the “dark triad” where psychopathy, narcissism and Machiavellianism build a character type as dangerous and disturbing.
However, it should be noted that it is more common to see these dimensions in everyday life separately, Machiavellianism being one of the most frequent. Let’s explore the subject in more detail in the rest of this article.
Machiavellian people: are they born or are they becoming?
We can all, at some point, practice deception and more or less manipulate someone to achieve a goal. However, this pattern of behavior is often isolated, rather benevolent, or even responds to a mechanism of protection or survival. For example: ” I will make this person believe this so that she leaves me alone, so that she does not bother me anymore and realizes that I am not interested in her”.
Machiavellian people, on the other hand, think that using others to obtain something is a normal attitude, they often even consider that those who do not do so do not deserve much consideration: they are not “clever”. As psychologists Richard Christie and Florence Geis explain to us, creators of the “Mach IV. High Machs ”intended to measure Machiavellianism, this individual profile thinks that“ a fool is born every minute and that it is advisable to take advantage of it ”.
If the world of politics has no shortage of people practicing this bad art of using calculated skills and strategies in order to acquire and retain power, we can meet a large number of people on a daily basis who carry out this type of strategies in which others are seen as an instrument, in a natural way. Does this mean that we are dealing with a genetic trait, that we are born Machiavellian?
Experts tell us that although in some small isolated cases there is a predisposition to psychopathy, Machiavellianism, on the other hand, results mainly from poor upbringing or from an education where the person tends to imitate the behavioral patterns of some of its progenitors.
What are Machiavellian people like?
We all have more or less had to work with the typical leader, manager or team leader used to always getting out of the woods, exploiting others for personal advantage. This behavior also appears in couples’ relationships and even in children who extort, threaten and abuse their classmates.
The Machiavellian mentality exists, abounds and leaves consequences for those who suffer it. It is therefore important to recognize its main characteristics:
- Machiavellian people are very good at detecting the weaknesses of others.
- They are very good at planning, they develop sophisticated strategies to manipulate others, to say the right word at the right time and thus obtain the proximity of their victim.
- They are ambitious, they control their impulses well to always obtain the maximum benefit. They prefer the large profits that they can obtain in the long term, they are very patient if the goal is profitable.
- They are charismatic, often charming, and seem humble.
- Machiavellian people are very useful in competitive work environments, for carrying out debates, negotiations, etc. However, on a personal level, they often do not have strong and lasting relationships.
How to deal with Machiavellianism?
The biggest difficulty that we have to face with this type of personality trait is that generally the “Machiavellian” person does not see any problem in their way of being. She sees herself as highly functional and capable of accomplishment, and that is precisely the only thing that matters to her. Her approach to life is based on utilitarianism and materialism, and the fact that she gives no emotional value means that she is rarely aware of the impact she makes on others through her approaches. .
So, in the rare cases where Machiavellian people turned to a psychologist, it was only the result of pressure from the family or, more commonly, because of a court order. We have to keep in mind that this type of profile is common in criminology due to its tendency to swindle.
In general, the most recommended strategy in this type of case is cognitive behavioral therapy. It helps to get the person (in some cases) to become aware of their behavior, identifying the disordered thoughts and feelings, to transform and shape a more inclusive and respectful behavior.
Nevertheless, and to conclude, it should be noted that very experienced professionals are needed to deal with Machiavellian people. Only in this way will we be able to sense and deactivate their clever deceitful tricks, suggestions and manipulations that they usually use.
Our thoughts Have you heard of the Dark Triad, that triangle of callous, cold and sometimes dangerous personalities with others?
