TITLE:
Machiavellianism in Universities: Perceiving Exploitation in Student Networks
AUTHORS:
Alexandra Bekiari, Kyriaki Spanou
KEYWORDS:
Machiavellianism, Social Network Analysis, Students
JOURNAL NAME:
Social Networking,
Vol.7 No.1,
November
30,
2017
ABSTRACT: Aim of this article is to examine parameters and types of Machiavellian behavior
among students in selected departments. Social network analysis, bivariate
analysis and principal component analysis have been implemented. A
total sample of 27 students of Business Administration dept. (Thessaly University
of Applied Sciences), 63 students of Veterinary dept. and 57 students
of Physical Education dept. (University of Thessaly) has been analyzed. Selected
results: Male students tend to regard more students as Machiavellians.
Female students seem to be more willing to harm others. Male ones are more
willing to exploit weaknesses. Tall or heavy students are regarded as quite
Machiavellians. Students of urban origin or rich enough seem to adopt a relatively
innocent view. Using internet is regarded as an evidence of Machiavellianism.
To select friends by appreciating their knowledge capacity is considered
to be unrelated to Machiavellianism. Two types of students who are
targeted for Machiavellian practices are demarcated: a) “full target” and b)
“beneficial target”. Two types of Machiavellian students appear: a) “full Machiavellian”
and b) “ruthless”. A mixed typology of victims and Machiavellians
reveals: a) a “targeting and targeted” type, b) a “full target”, c) a “beneficial
target” and d) a “ruthless”. In general, the Machiavellianism seems to be
either a generalized strategy or a quite specific one.