Machiavellianism and the Abuse of Power: A Descriptive Study of Personality and Leadership Dynamics

Machiavellianism is a personality trait characterized by manipulative behavior and self-serving goals. Leaders high in Machiavellianism often adopt an “ends justify the means” mindset, making them prone to unethical tactics and abuse of authority. Empirical studies show that Machiavellian leaders frequently engage in abusive supervision the sustained hostile treatment of subordinates especially when they hold strong positional power. This abuse of authority has been linked to negative outcomes such as greater employee cynicism, emotional exhaustion, and counterproductive behavior.Keywords: Machiavellianism, personality trait, manipulative behavior, self-serving goals, ends justify the means, unethical tactics, abuse of authority, leaders, abusive supervision, positional power, hostile treatment, subordinates, employee cynicism, emotional exhaustion, counterproductive behavior