The Machiavellian Approach and Avoidance Questionnaire: Further Validation and Evidence of Cross-National Validity

TY - JOUR

T1 - The Machiavellian Approach and Avoidance Questionnaire

T2 - Further Validation and Evidence of Cross-National Validity

AU - Blötner, Christian

AU - Dinić, Bojana M.

AU - Denovan, Andrew

AU - Dagnall, Neil

AU - Krstić, Petar

AU - Papageorgiou, Kostas A.

AU - Trahair, Cassidy

AU - Plouffe, Rachel A.

N1 - Copyright: © 2024 the author(s). Published with license by taylor & francis Group, LLC.

PY - 2024/12/2

Y1 - 2024/12/2

N2 - Researchers on antagonistic personality traits debate about an appropriate measurement approach to Machiavellianism. One measure intended to resolve this discourse, the Machiavellian Approach and Avoidance Questionnaire (MAAQ), distinguishes motivational aspects of Machiavellianism (https://doi.org/10.1037/pas0001069). Machiavellian Approach reflects strategic striving for advantages (even at others’ expense), and Machiavellian Avoidance encompasses misanthropically driven prevention of loss. Using two German samples (ntotal = 1,583; 63% women), evidence from our first study confirmed assumed relations between both facets and disagreeableness, as well as Machiavellian approach with dominance seeking, and Machiavellian avoidance with mistrust. However, the nomological networks of Machiavellian approach and measures of subclinical psychopathy were almost identical in both samples. Thus, the MAAQ failed to sufficiently differentiate from subclinical psychopathy. In a second study, partial scalar cross-national invariance was established across samples from Germany, Canada, United Kingdom, and Serbia (ntotal = 1,853). Thereby, participants from Germany scored lower in Machiavellian approach compared to other samples, lower in Machiavellian avoidance compared to samples from the United Kingdom and Canada, but higher compared to the Serbian sample. Overall, findings supported cross-national equivalence of the MAAQ but undermined construct validity.

AB - Researchers on antagonistic personality traits debate about an appropriate measurement approach to Machiavellianism. One measure intended to resolve this discourse, the Machiavellian Approach and Avoidance Questionnaire (MAAQ), distinguishes motivational aspects of Machiavellianism (https://doi.org/10.1037/pas0001069). Machiavellian Approach reflects strategic striving for advantages (even at others’ expense), and Machiavellian Avoidance encompasses misanthropically driven prevention of loss. Using two German samples (ntotal = 1,583; 63% women), evidence from our first study confirmed assumed relations between both facets and disagreeableness, as well as Machiavellian approach with dominance seeking, and Machiavellian avoidance with mistrust. However, the nomological networks of Machiavellian approach and measures of subclinical psychopathy were almost identical in both samples. Thus, the MAAQ failed to sufficiently differentiate from subclinical psychopathy. In a second study, partial scalar cross-national invariance was established across samples from Germany, Canada, United Kingdom, and Serbia (ntotal = 1,853). Thereby, participants from Germany scored lower in Machiavellian approach compared to other samples, lower in Machiavellian avoidance compared to samples from the United Kingdom and Canada, but higher compared to the Serbian sample. Overall, findings supported cross-national equivalence of the MAAQ but undermined construct validity.

UR - https://osf.io/syrbc/

U2 - 10.1080/00223891.2024.2431123

DO - 10.1080/00223891.2024.2431123

M3 - Article

C2 - 39620656

SN - 0022-3891

JO - Journal of Personality Assessment

JF - Journal of Personality Assessment

ER -