ABSTRACT
This chapter examines the role of political behaviour in the workplace, the extent to which this reflects aspects of our personality and its significance for individual psychological well-being. Politics is essentially about exercising – privately or publicly – some kind of control, influence or power. Political skills have been variously studied among ostensibly political and non-political occupations, however their links with the psychological health of the actors have been less well studied. The activities of relating to others and handling conflict are considerations of daily living and by virtue of this they also represent the most commonplace of political behaviours. The key difference between those inclined towards emotionally intelligent or Machiavellian practices lies in what these relations mean to that individual. Managing one's own relationships is a core component of the construct of emotional intelligence as much as recognizing opportunities for advancement for gain are central to Machiavellianism.
