Winter in 1973 suggested that among several career groups, psychologists have a tendency to be high in the need for power (n Power). Machiavellianism, typically a strategy of manipulation, results in attainment of power or control over interpersonal situations. The present study investigated Machiavellianism as a means of power attainment in college students. The Mach V Scale was administered in a group format to the following: (a) college freshmen, (b) upperclass psychology majors, and (c) graduate students in psychology. Analysis indicated significantly different scores between groups as freshmen scored significantly lower than did upperclass or graduate students.
Get full access to this article
View all access options for this article.
References
1.
ChristieR.GeisF. L. (1970) Studies in Machiavellianism. New York: Academic Press.
2.
SingerD. E. (1964) The use of manipulative strategies: Machiavellianism and attractiveness. Sociometry, 27, 128–150.
3.
TouliatosJ.LindholmB. W. (1977) Correlates of attitude toward the female sex role and achievement, affiliation, and power motivation of college women. Adolescence, 12, 461–470.
4.
VleemingR. G. (1979) Machiavellianism: a preliminary review. Psychological Reports, 44, 295–310.
5.
WinterD. G. (1973) The power motive. New York: Free Press.
