Leiden University Student Repository

Panic, Aleksandra (2024)

The effect of the Machiavellian personality on the tendency to cooperate, compete or choose peace in an economic game

Research master thesis | Psychology (research) (MSc)

The present research investigated the association between Machiavellianism and different behavioural responses in a novel economic game. The main purpose of the research was to reveal the patterns of behaviours associated with the Machiavellian personality in a setting in which acting in a cooperative and competitive manner are both feasible options.The results of the research suggest that there is a negative association between Machiavellianism and cooperation. Individuals with higher level of Machiavellianism tended to invest more resources to competition, relative to cooperation. No association was found between Machiavellianism and choosing peace in the economic game. Lastly, performance in the game could, also, not be predicted by one’s Machiavellian inclinations. We can conclude that, even when given the possibility to compete and cooperate at the same time, Machiavellians still tend to exhibit a higher propensity towards non-cooperative responses and a slightly higher...Show moreThe present research investigated the association between Machiavellianism and different behavioural responses in a novel economic game. The main purpose of the research was to reveal the patterns of behaviours associated with the Machiavellian personality in a setting in which acting in a cooperative and competitive manner are both feasible options.The results of the research suggest that there is a negative association between Machiavellianism and cooperation. Individuals with higher level of Machiavellianism tended to invest more resources to competition, relative to cooperation. No association was found between Machiavellianism and choosing peace in the economic game. Lastly, performance in the game could, also, not be predicted by one’s Machiavellian inclinations. We can conclude that, even when given the possibility to compete and cooperate at the same time, Machiavellians still tend to exhibit a higher propensity towards non-cooperative responses and a slightly higher propensity towards competitive behaviours compared to low Machiavellians.Show less

Machiavellianism, cooperation, competition, individual differences, economic game

Author

Panic, Aleksandra

Faculty

Faculty of Social & Behavioural Sciences

Specialisation

Social and Organisational Psychology

Supervisors

Dr. Angelo Romano

ECTS Credits

30

Language

en