Machiavellianism refers to attitudes and behaviors that use ruthless and manipulative means to gain and maintain power, ignoring morals and ethics. By taking this test, you can find out your level of Machiavellianism in 20 questions and 3 minutes.
Machiavellianism is a tendency to approach relationships strategically and use or manipulate others for personal gain. In psychology, it is treated as a personality trait that varies in degree, rather than something a person either has or does not have.
The name comes from political thinker Niccolò Machiavelli and his book The Prince. Christie and Geis later developed the psychological study of the trait in 1970. The historical political ideas and the modern personality construct are related, but they are not the same thing.
Being a good planner or negotiator does not, by itself, mean someone is highly Machiavellian. What matters is how they treat other people's choices and interests.
Based on your answers to 20 questions, this test gives scores for four areas. These are overlapping tendencies within one person, rather than four types of people.
A tendency to steer other people's decisions or actions toward your own goals. This includes withholding information or using someone's emotions or vulnerabilities to influence them.
At the lower end, other people's choices are respected. At the higher end, getting others to serve your own purposes takes priority.
A tendency to put gain or results ahead of fairness and the impact of your actions. It can involve justifying dishonest methods because they produce the desired outcome.
At the lower end, honesty and fairness matter more. At the higher end, ethical concerns are more readily set aside to achieve a goal.
A tendency to feel less concern for other people's feelings or difficulties. Understanding what someone feels and caring about their experience are not necessarily the same thing.
At the lower end, other people's perspectives receive consideration. At the higher end, their emotions or suffering may feel more distant.
A tendency to seek status, influence, or an advantage over others. The focus is on control and superiority, rather than on leadership or taking responsibility in itself.
At the lower end, cooperation between equals is valued. At the higher end, personal standing and control are more likely to come first.
These four areas are the structure used by this site's test. Research measures can use different structures; this test should not be treated as equivalent to the Mach-IV or other research scales.
Both involve influencing someone. The difference lies in whether information is shared honestly and the other person remains free to make an informed choice.
Explain the drawbacks and alternatives as well as your own wishes, and respect the other person's right to say no.
Use secrecy, guilt, or someone's vulnerabilities to guide their actions without giving them a fair chance to judge the situation.
Strategic thinking and ambition alone are not manipulation. A single action is also not enough to define someone's entire personality.
Machiavellianism is one of the three traits known as the Dark Triad, alongside narcissism and psychopathy. They overlap in features such as self-interest, but research distinguishes between them.
Strategic calculation and manipulation for personal gain
A focus on being special and receiving admiration
Callousness, impulsivity, and limited guilt
This is a brief guide to their differences. This test does not provide scores for narcissism or psychopathy.
Start with the overall score, then compare the four areas to see which tendencies are more prominent in your answers.
Scores are an indication of tendencies in your answers, not a verdict on your character or a prediction of future behavior. This test is for self-reflection and is not a medical diagnosis.
These sources explain the concepts. They do not establish the accuracy or validity of this site's test.
