Machiavellianism Scale (MACH-IV)

Background

The Mach-IV Scale is a psychological self-report assessment developed by Richard Christie and Florence L. Geis (1970) to measure Machiavellian personality traits. The scale evaluates manipulative attitudes, cynical beliefs about human nature, strategic interpersonal behavior, emotional detachment, and pragmatic morality.

The Mach-IV is one of the most widely used instruments for assessing Machiavellianism in personality and social psychology research. Higher scores may indicate stronger tendencies toward manipulation, interpersonal distrust, strategic deception, and utilitarian decision-making.

Procedure

Read each statement carefully and select the response that best describes your agreement with the statement. Answer honestly and choose the option that most accurately reflects your typical beliefs or attitudes.

Participation

This assessment is intended for educational, research, and self-reflection purposes only. It is not intended to provide a formal clinical diagnosis. Results should be interpreted within the broader context of personality functioning and interpersonal behavior.

Scoring & Interpretation

Each item is rated using a standard agreement scale. Higher scores indicate stronger Machiavellian attitudes and interpersonal manipulation tendencies. Reverse-scored items should be scored accordingly before calculating the total score.

Reverse Scored Items:
3,4,6,7,9,10,11,14,16,17

Start Assessment

Translations

Available Versions: English

Changelogs

Version 1.0:
Initial Mach-IV integration into Deenz Psychometric Scale Engine Pro.
Added reverse scoring support.
Added psychometric interpretation support.
Added classic Machiavellian personality assessment support.

Sources

Christie, R., & Geis, F. L. (1970). Studies in Machiavellianism. New York: Academic Press.