Machiavellian Intelligence: Definition And Characteristics

Does the outcome justify the means? Someone with Machiavellian intelligence would say yes, at least to some extent. 

So does the outcome justify the means? As we have said above, someone with Machiavellian intelligence will probably say yes. But how do you know if you are facing someone with this type of personality? Let’s take a look at what a Machiavellian personality consists of.

What is Machiavellian intelligence?

Machiavellian intelligence refers to complex, social strategies. These are forms of behavior that an individual engages in trying, and it maximizes his or her success directly or indirectly.

To do this, the person behaves in a cooperative or combative manner, depending on what the person thinks will benefit him or her most in the given situation.

That said, it is important not to confuse this term with the Machiavellianism of social psychology. In this case, it is a social behavioral strategy in which the individual uses manipulation for personal gain and, in general, to harm others.

This kind of intelligence arises from what was once a political doctrine. Machiavellian theories were so useful that they gave rise to new theories and studies on human behavior. 

Characteristics of Machiavellian intelligence

Someone with Machiavellian intelligence may not exhibit all of these traits, but they will, for sure, have some of them. In general,  one can define them as tendencies or generalities  that will manifest themselves, depending on the personality and social environment of each individual.

Objectification of other people

Someone with a Machiavellian personality may have certain sociopathic traits. It is very difficult, or impossible, for them to have empathy with other people. However, people exhibit this lack of empathy to varying degrees.

Because it is so difficult for these people to connect with others, they create a distance between themselves and everyone else. It makes it easy for them to objectify people to varying degrees because it is not an emotional connection.

The ability to detect human weakness

Someone with Machiavellian intelligence has a greater ability to detect the weaknesses of others. Once they have discovered what they are, they use this information to their own advantage.

Let’s look at a simple example. A Machiavellian person would become friends with someone who has a positive public image so he or she can climb the social ladder. He or she actually does not care about the person.

The person’s behavior also changes, depending on how the situation changes. If the “friend” loses his good social status, the Machiavellian person can easily end the friendship.

People with Machiavellian intelligence tend to manipulate other peoples

This move goes hand in hand with the former. Many Machiavellian people use others as tools to help them get what they want. Furthermore, they know that the way they act is being skewed, so they do their best to hide their true intentions.

In fact, they do not hesitate to claim that they forgot to do what they promised in exchange for a service once they got what they wanted. They may even try to turn the situation upside down and accuse everyone else of having hidden motives.

Impulse control

Machiavellian people are not very impulsive. That said, they sometimes use impulsivity as a shield to justify their behavior. It’s part of the show they put on for others. In fact, most of their actions are planned and they have clear, defined goals.

Ambitious goals

People with a Machiavellian personality tend to be extremely intelligent. They therefore, as a rule, have very ambitious goals, which they dedicate a lot of time and effort to achieve. They focus, usually, on exploiting other people for their own gain.

All of their plans focus on achieving an outcome they consider noble. When they trade on something, they have plenty of patience to wait for the results. They rarely get nervous.

People with Machiavellian intelligence aim for the long term

Their patience and intelligence make them comfortable with long-term goals and plans. Their goals often project relatively far into the future. This is because they believe that their goals are important and that they require complex steps. They know that they have to avoid impulsivity in order for everything to end “well”. They have to be cold and calculating.

In conclusion, people with this personality tend to exhibit a total lack of remorse. They are also planning something constantly.

Do you know anyone who is that way? Hopefully, this information will help you recognize them and avoid becoming their victim.