Machiavellianism can be used for reference today

【Abstract】Machiavellianism is the employment of cunning and duplicity in statecraft or in general conduct. The view of non-moral politics was ascribed to Machiavelli. Fear and various schemes can be used to achieve the purpose of reigning and controlling . But now there are many articles criticizing this theory. They claim that its not moral. Previous studies clearly show that Machiavellian thinking and behavior are characterized by some kind of cold attitude； a tendency to be detached from the emotional features of a particular situation.And depending on it， one cant go a long way. These articles can be challenged. In some areas of your life， you can take advantage of this theory to get the top. In our daily life， machiavellianism also can be used for reference. This thesis will help you to see the essence of Machiavellianism. Taking good advantage of this theory， you can reach your goals.

【Key words】Machiavellianism； goals； life

【作者簡介】范敏，中國石油大學（華東）。

Introduction： Machiavellianism is one of the dark triad personalities， characterized by a duplicitous interpersonal style， a cynical disregard for morality， and a focus on self-interest and personal gain. Machiavellianism in psychology refers to a personality trait which sees a person so focused on their own interests they will manipulate， deceive， and exploit others to achieve their goals. Whatever your career is or your social status is， this theory or we can call it a trump card can lead your life more controlled and brighter. Machiavellianism is also a term that some social， forensic and personality psychologists use to describe a persons tendency to be unemotional， and therefore able to detach themself from conventional morality and hence to deceive and manipulate others.

This term itself derived from Niccolo Machiavelli， a diplomat and philosopher in the Renaissance. From “The Prince”， we can understand the Machiavellianism better. The book espoused his views that strong rulers should be harsh with their subjects and enemies. Machiavellianism is defined as “a process by which the manipulator gets more of some kind of reward than he would have gotten without manipulating， while someone else gets less， at least within the immediate context” （Christie and Geis， 1970， p. 106）. The core of this personality type can be explained in terms of manipulative， persuasive behavior to accomplish personal objectives. Although it seems to be brutal and immoral， it does work in all ages. This thesis will analyze it from three aspects， the company management， the relationship and how to use it properly.

Machiavellianism is an interpersonal manipulation. Machiavellianism in the workplace is the employment of cunning and duplicity in a business setting. Machiavellianism has been studied extensively over the past 40 years as a personality characteristic that shares features with manipulative leadership.

If you are a manager or a boss of a company， you must learn about Machiavellianism. Machiavellianism only manipulates on occasions where it is necessary to achieve the required objectives. According to the Machiavellianism， fear can be a better way to compete with your commercial rivals. In modern psychology， like the commercial competition， businessmen only pay all the attention on profits. Fear makes your competitors obey you and give what you want. Fear makes your subordinates devote for their jobs and create more profits for you. In Chinese culture， we praised those kind leaders highly. But considering it from another side， sometimes kindness may not bring a good result. Someone may say that Google is an exception； managers build a relaxing environment for employers. But as a successful company， Google is strict to employers. Whats more， its witness is the interview. Everyone who comes to the interview of Google will communicate with six interviewers. So fear are built in everyones heart at the first time they step in this company. Google only leaves its tolerance to those active， struggling， responsible and talent employers. On the contrary， some companies only learned bits and pieces from Google. Managers are always kind； any employers can be tolerate to treat. No doubt， those companies will go broke. So fear， strict management and some tricks are necessary. Currently， many enterprises go for the wolf culture. Shiyuzhu said：” as long as its a great company， it must pursue the wolf culture. The rabbit culture must make a company go down. “From my view， it also can be a part of Machiavellianism. For example， Huawei pursues the wolf culture more. In 2017， it became the top 83 with a 78.51 billion dollars annual income in the world. And sometimes a manager needs some tricks to get some useful information from the market or other companies. It is immoral but useful. If a company wants to survive from the harsh market， Machiavellianism can be used for reference.

In the selling process the sales agents responsibilities include presenting the product/service in the best light possible， handling objections， and closing the sale. Many closing techniques could be construed as manipulative depending upon the degree of implementation. One factor that measures sales success is dollars generated or the number of successful closes. Hence it is logical to assume that some level of the manipulation trait is needed to be successful （Olshavsky，1973； Greenberg and Greenberg， 1990）.

The relationship is a big part we need to deal with in our lives. Friends， lovers， family members， anyone you know and any strangers， you need find a balance and make all relationships go a right way. Machiavellianism is a personality trait involving manipulativeness and deceit， cynical views toward human nature， and a cold， calculating attitude towards others. Machiavellians are strategic individuals who are willing to lie， cheat， and deceive others in order to achieve their goals. Machiavellianism may be so indifferent in these relationships. As a Chinese， we emphasize treat others well and regard everyone as a good friend. What we stress is not our own benefits but the good relationship. However， Machiavellianism is used well in western culture during getting along with others. Its a truth that western people have plenty friends in different areas. When they do exercise， they contact several friends who love sports； whey they want to study， they have several friends with a host of knowledge； whey they are crazy on going shopping， they just call several friends with a fashionable view. Furthermore， they dont keep a long relationship or friendship. Even in a family， people stress more on the individualism. They respect each others privacy and right in the family. What they cherish more is their own interest， just like Machiavellians. One cannot be a Machiavellian completely， but one cannot be always a yes-man either. During the relationship with your friends， if you have no dignity and your own thinking， you will be hurt in this friendship， because you have no way to protect your own benefits. And human beings are selfish， there are few saints， most people are struggling to protect themselves. Machiavellians must have a reasonably good theory of mind in order to be able to be able to understand what drives the behaviors of others， so that they can manipulate these others. Also， from Liane Youngs stud， Machiavellianism correlated with higher ratings of reciprocity as fair， whereas empathic concern and perspective taking correlated with higher ratings of charity as fair. reciprocity is a situation in which two people， groups， or countries give each other similar kinds of helo or special rights， its a mutual befit. The result of this study is contradicted with our cognition， but its a fact. Although Machiavellianism directs people take advantage of every way to achieve their goals， they have foresight and sagacity. What they pursues is a long-term interest. Its also applied to relationship with other people. Contacting with others is to create a people web， to get more help from others.， which is not only for the emotion needs. Moreover， people with a proposition of Machiavellianism will end the relationship in a short time as a result of interest contradiction. What they want and insist is reciprocity， they need get benefits and goals in a long term.

But then， in a relationship with your boyfriend or girlfriend， its another aspect we will analyse. This is the most complex relationship in the world and its hard to keep in a good state and balance all the time. But， Machiavellianism can give us some tips. In all ages， we regarded Machiavellianism as a tomb of love. Machiavellians in the love only emphasize their own benefits. They wont devote everything for each other. But from the other aspect， love needs white lies； love needs some tricks to keep it into a well lasting condition. For example， if a pair of lovers quarrels with each other， some tricks can be used to reconcile.

Even though Machiavellianism is regarded as an evil theory， we can find some good points for our survival wisdom. Sometimes， mastering some tricks or being a feared man is not as bad as you think.

References：

[1]http；//en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Machiavellianism.

[2]http；//www.harleytherapy，co.uk/counselling/machiavellianism-p sychology.htm.

[3]http；//psychcentral.com/lib/machiavellianism-cognition-and-emotion-understanding-how-the-machiavellian-thinks-feels-and-thrives/.

[4]James Ricks John Fraedrich，The Paradox of Machiavellianism：Machiavellianism May Make for Productive Sales but Poor Management Reviews，Journal of Business Ethics，July 1999：197-205.

[5]Laura Niemi，Liane Young，Who Sees What as Fair？ Mapping Individual Differences in Valuation of Reciprocity，Charity，and Impartiality，Social Justice Research，December 2017：438–449.