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Is a Manipulator's Externality Paradoxical? The Relationship Between Machiavellianism, Economic Opportunism, and Economic Locus of Control
Author(s) -
Sakalaki Maria,
Kanellaki Sofia,
Richardson Clive
Publication year - 2009
Publication title -
journal of applied social psychology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.822
H-Index - 111
eISSN - 1559-1816
pISSN - 0021-9029
DOI - 10.1111/j.1559-1816.2009.00539.x
Subject(s) - machiavellianism , opportunism , psychology , locus of control , social psychology , externality , moral hazard , microeconomics , economics , psychopathy , personality , incentive , market economy
Machiavellianism and economic opportunism are defecting strategies founded on manipulating information in order to maximize gain or power. This study investigated their relationship with economic internality. We hypothesized that individuals inclined to adopt defecting strategies would tend to have external economic locus of control (ELOC). A Greek sample of 175 participants completed the ELOC and Mach IV questionnaires and a scale of economic opportunism. Machiavellianism and opportunism were both positively correlated with the ELOC Chance factor. Opportunism was negatively correlated with the ELOC Internal factor. The findings confirmed the hypothesis and showed that this kind of defector overestimates the role of chance, uncertainty, and hazard as sources of economic reinforcements.