Machiavellian Personality Scale – Chinese Version

Description

Machiavellianism, also known as the doctrine of political cunning, refers to the inclination of individuals to manipulate others in order to achieve personal goals. This term encompasses two layers of meaning: the first layer refers to any adaptive social behavior, where natural selection favors individuals who can successfully manipulate the behavior of others, regardless of whether the manipulated individuals possess similar advantages; the second layer specifically denotes non-cooperative and exploitative behavior, which derives from the darker side of management and leadership. Machiavellianism possesses a dual aspect in interpersonal interactions: one perspective adopts a cynical view of human nature, while the other reflects a willingness to engage in manipulative strategies in social interactions. The main characteristics of Machiavellian leaders, as elucidated through early political studies and historical perspectives on power—particularly supported by concepts within “The Prince” and “The Discourses on Livy”—include a lack of emotional engagement in interpersonal relations, indifference to traditional moral considerations, a utilitarian rather than rational view of others, and low ideological commitment. Generally, Machiavellian individuals are categorized into two types: high Machiavellians, who are cold and independent, believing that all observable opportunities and contexts are means to achieve results; and low Machiavellians, who are more open towards others, emotionally involved, and focus more on the content of communication rather than the final outcomes in pursuit of personal goals.

Authors and Contact Email

Information not available

Purpose

Information not available

Test Year

Data gathering occurred between April 2011 and July 2011.

Administration Method and Scoring

This study primarily conducted in Wuhan involved the distribution of surveys to full-time employees who had been with their companies for at least six months. The questionnaires were distributed through two main channels: firstly, through connections established by mentors with three major manufacturing companies in Wuhan, including one state-owned, one private, and one foreign-funded enterprise. Secondly, mentors were entrusted to distribute the surveys in a professional development class. A total of 700 questionnaires were distributed, and 512 were returned, resulting in a response rate of 73.1%. After an initial screening of the responses based on three criteria—missing data, consistency in responses, and logical conflicts in reverse items—146 invalid questionnaires were discarded. Ultimately, 366 valid questionnaires were collected, leading to an effective response rate of 52.3%.

Reliability and Validity

M ± SD: 2.5644 ± 0.6206

Factors and Subscales

Information not available

Keywords

Machiavellianism, interpersonal manipulation, leadership traits, ethical considerations, personal goals.

Items in Chinese

1. 为了维持超越其他人的竞争优势，撒谎是有必要的。
2. 与他人交谈的唯一原因就是为了获取对自己有利的信息。
3. 如果对取得成功有帮助，那么我愿意变得不道德。
4. 如果别人威胁到我的目标，我会有意破坏他们的努力。
5. 如果被逮到的可能性很小，我会作弊。
6. 我喜欢对我身边的人发号施令。
7. 我喜欢控制其他人。
8. 我喜欢控制局面。
9. 地位是生活中衡量成功的一个很好的标志。
10. 对我自己而言，积累财富是一个非常重要的目标。
11. 我希望有朝一日能变得有钱有势。
12. 人只会受个人利益驱动。
13. 我不喜欢对群体做出承诺，因为我不相信别人。
14. 为了出人头地，团队成员之间总是会相互陷害。
15. 一旦我在工作中表现出任何劣势，别人就会利用这一点。
16. 其他人总是盘算着牺牲我去控制局势。

Items in English

1. To maintain a competitive advantage over others, lying is necessary.
2. The only reason to talk to others is to obtain information beneficial to myself.
3. If it helps me succeed, I am willing to become immoral.
4. If others threaten my goals, I will deliberately undermine their efforts.
5. If the likelihood of being caught is low, I will cheat.
6. I enjoy directing those around me.
7. I like to control other people.
8. I like to control situations.
9. Status is a good measure of success in life.
10. For myself, accumulating wealth is a very important goal.
11. I hope to one day be wealthy and powerful.
12. People are driven only by personal interests.
13. I do not like to make commitments to groups because I do not trust others.
14. To get ahead, team members will always sabotage each other.
15. Once I show any weakness at work, others will exploit it.
16. Others are always calculating to sacrifice me to control the situation.

References

赵君. 绩效考核目的对工作场所偏差行为的影响机制研究[D].华中科技大学,2012.
Dahling J J, Whitaker B G, Levy P E. The Development and Validation of a New Machiavellianism Scale[J]. Journal of Management, 2009, 35(2):1-39.