INDIVIDUAL-DIFFERENCES IN MACHIAVELLIANISM AS A MIX OF COOPERATIVE AND EXPLOITATIVE STRATEGIES

Subjects who score high on Machiavellianism are often charming and att ractive in short-term social interactions. It is unclear from their be havior whether they are using a deceptive strategy of exploitation or whether they are merely exceptionally capable social actors. We used a story-telling method to explore aspects of Machiavellianism that are not obvious from short-term social interactions. Subjects who scored h igh and low on Machiavellianism wrote stories in the first person, who se main characters (referred to as ''I'') were evaluated by another se t of subjects. The stories reveal the cooperative nature of low-Machs and the exploitative nature of high-Machs in particularly sharp focus. Judged by their fictional creations, high-Machs were rejected as soci al partners for most relationships, except when their exploitative ski lls could be directed against members of other groups. (C) 1998 Elsevi er Science Inc.