The Machiavellian bully revisited: A closer look at differences and processes of Machiavellian bullying and cyberbullying perpetration

Abstract

Numerous studies on personality traits conducive to traditional bullying and cyberbullying mentioned Machiavellianism as an influential predictor of these behaviors. Machiavellianism comprises manipulative, egotistic orientations that help acquire desired outcomes. However, it is questionable whether bullying and cyberbullying reflect unidimensional constructs since they are frequently categorized into verbal, relational, and physical aspects (with the latter being applicable only in traditional bullying). Similarly, evidence suggests that Machiavellianism is not a uniform trait. In this research, using a sample of 634 students (339 girls; 54%) from 40 classes from eighth to tenth grades, a five‐dimensional measure of bullying and cyberbullying was devised and suggested that aspects of (cyber)bullying are related but still separable. Subsequently, differential relations between the five forms of (cyber)bullying and two facets of Machiavellianism were modeled. Those facets were Machiavellian approach (i.e., manipulative aspects of Machiavellianism) and Machiavellian avoidance (i.e., distrustful aspects of Machiavellianism). Multilevel models revealed that Machiavellian approach predicted relational bullying (but not relational cyberbullying) and Machiavellian avoidance predicted verbal (cyber)bullying and physical bullying. All links were mediated by overt dehumanization, that is, the tendency to cognitively deprive a person of typically human characteristics.

The Machiavellian Approach and Avoidance Questionnaire: Further Validation and Differential Item Functioning between German and Serbian Cultures

“…Dominance striving and mistrust revealed positive correlations with Machiavellian approach and avoidance, respectively. This supports assumptions on core features of the two facets as they emphasize exploitative egotism (approach), negative views on human nature, and the motivation to prevent harm (both avoidance; Blötner & Bergold, 2022, 2023a, 2023b.…”

“…Arguably, proactive aggression can be a means to a desired end and thus, serves the motivation toward resource acquisition inherent to Machiavellian approach. In line with this, at the bivariate level, Machiavellian approach was more strongly positively related than Machiavellian avoidance to physical bullying in school, that is, proactively employed aggression (Blötner & Bergold, 2023b). On the other hand, in Sample 1, but not in Sample 2, Machiavellian avoidance was more strongly related to reactive aggression than was Machiavellian approach.…”

“…In line with neurotic tendencies ascribed to Machiavellian avoidance, this facet was expected to trigger "emotionally laden short-term reactions to prevent a loss of control or resources" (p. 149) such as impulsivity and overt aggression. Consistent with this, Blötner and Bergold (2023b) found Machiavellian avoidance to account for verbal and physical bullying and cyberbullying perpetration (i.e., intentional violence repeatedly inflicted by one or more individuals on another, weaker individual). On the other hand, Machiavellian approach accounted for relational bullying and cyberbullying, which is a covert form of bullying that manifests itself by spreading rumors and excluding others from social groups.…”

“…In line with their intention to establish a better distinction from psychopathy, the nomological networks of two facets were also sufficiently distinct from that of two facets of psychopathy. Later, the authors used the MAAQ to model relations with the production and reception of misinformation (Blötner & Bergold, 2023a) and with (cyber)bullying (Blötner & Bergold, 2023b).…”

“…On the other hand, Machiavellian approach accounted for relational bullying and cyberbullying, which is a covert form of bullying that manifests itself by spreading rumors and excluding others from social groups. Compared to physical and verbal bullying, punishment for relational bullying is expected to be less likely since the aggressor cannot be identified as easily, emphasizing the strategic conceptualization of Machiavellian approach (Blötner & Bergold, 2022, 2023b. Since previous studies utilized very specific operationalizations of aggression (in the broadest sense) and impulsivity, we expanded on Blötner and Bergold's findings with a broader set of measures.…”