ABSTRACT
One of the most fundamental and direct motive driving Machiavellian behaviour is reward. Machiavellians strive to be the winner of the situation and aim at gaining the largest profit possible. Their goal-oriented behaviour is mostly motivated by external factors such as money, power and influence. The social context has primary importance, that is, whom one is associated with, what one knows or thinks about others, what the chances of successful cheating are, how great the risk of exposure is, and so on. However, they do not always cheat: Machiavellians only enter deception against others when the circumstances make cheating and manipulation profitable. They successfully exploit others but manipulation has its price. Taking advantage of others often entails the stigmatisation, detestation and social exclusion of the manipulator. Studies have revealed that Machiavellians feel most comfortable in an environment of uncontrolled and unstructured conditions which enables them to improvise without incurring the risk of exposure.
