A bibliometric analysis of the Machiavellianism in domestic and foreign psychology

This study conducted bibliometric analysis of 214 national and 1847 foreign research papers in the Machiavellianism field, presenting the research status, evolution process and main research themes in a visual form to clarify the overall knowledge structure of Machiavellianism research. The results of the study showed that between 2013 and 2019 there was a significant increase of interest among scholars the world around in issues related to the concept of Machiavellianism. The number of published research papers over the recent six years are roughly equal in the number of papers released between 1970 and 2012. Also, the dark triad, behavior and traits covered the largest number of keywords. In recent years, some new trends have emerged in Machiavellianism research. The interest of the world scientific community has mainly focused on the “dark” side of Machiavellianism. The dark dozen, sadism, moral disunity, cyberbullying, and depression reflect the current hot themes associated with Machiavellianism research. It has also become obvious that despite significant efforts to develop the study of Machiavellianism, the current research is not sufficient. In general, the results of the study contribute to understanding of the relationship between the concept of Machiavellianism and other concepts of psychology, expand knowledge about the evolution process of the Machiavellianism field and possible directions for future trends.

1. Znakov V.V. Psikhologiya ponimaniya: problemy i perspektivy [The Psychology of Understanding: Problems and Prospects]. Moscow: Institute of psychology of the Russian Academy of Sciences, 2005. 254 p. (In Russ.).
2. Kolesnikova N.I., Sergienko E.A. Lichnostnye aspekty ponimaniya psikhicheskogo u vzroslykh [Personality aspects of understanding with mind for adults] [Elektronnyi resurs]. Psikhologicheskie issledovaniya [Psychological Studies], 2010. Vol. 6, no. 14. URL: http://psystudy.ru/num/2010n6-14/409-kolesnikova-sergienko14.html (Accessed 17.12.2020). (In Russ.).
3. Rozhkov S.A. Bibliometricheskie metody vyyavleniya i analiza nauchnykh napravlenii [Bibliometric methods for identifying and analyzing scientific directions]. Moscow: VINITI, 1991. 45 p. (In Russ.).
4. Barnett M. A., Thompson S. The Role of Perspective Taking and Empathy in Children's Machiavellianism, Prosocial Behavior, and Motive for Helping. The Journal of Genetic Psychology, 1985. Vol. 146, no. 3, pp. 295–305. DOI:10.1080/00221325.1985.9914459
5. Christie R., Geis F.L. Studies in Machiavellianism. New York: Academic Press, 1970. 430 p.
6. Davis M., Stone T. Synthesis: Psychological understanding and social skills. In Repacholi B., Slaughter V. (eds.). Macquarie monographs in cognitive science. Individual differences in theory of mind: Implications for typical and atypical development. Sussex: Psychology Press, 2003, pp. 305–352.
7. Davis S.K., Nichols R. Does Emotional intelligence have a ‘‘dark” side? A review of the literature. Frontiers in Psychology, 2016. Vol. 7, article ID 1316,  pp. 1–10. DOI:10.3389/fpsyg.2016.01316
8. Austin E.J. et al. Emotional intelligence, Machiavellianism and emotional manipulation: Does EI have a dark side? Personality and Individual Differences, 2007. Vol. 43, no. 1, pp. 179–189. DOI:10.1016/j.paid.2006.11.019
9. Finkel E.J., Hall A.N. The I3 model: A metatheoretical framework for understanding aggression. Current Opinion in Psychology, 2018. Vol. 19, pp. 125–130. DOI:10.1016/j.copsyc.2017.03.013
10. Hawley P.H. Prosocial and coercive configurations of resource control in early adolescence: A case for the well-adapted Machiavellian [Elektronnyi resurs]. Merrill-Palmer Quarterly, 2003. Vol. 49, no. 3, pp. 279–309. URL: https://search.proquest.com/openview/6a76b850d9d4ba507e88912889e25fc9/1?pq-origsite=gscholar&cbl=48851 (Accessed 17.12.2020).
11. Cherulnik P.D. et al. Impressions of high and low Machiavellian men. Journal of Personality, 1981. Vol. 49, no. 4, pp. 388–400. DOI:10.1111/j.1467-6494.1981.tb00221.x
12. Kinderman P., Dunbar R.I.M., Bentall R.P. Theory-of-mind deficits and causal attributions [Elektronnyi resurs]. British Journal of Psychology, 1998. Vol. 89, pp. 191–204. URL: https://search.proquest.com/openview/e5568af9a791f52e9b48432dee2bce07/1?pq-origsite=gscholar&cbl=38178 (Accessed 17.12.2020).
13. Bereczkei T. et al. Neural correlates of Machiavellian strategies in a social dilemma task. Brain and Cognition, 2013. Vol. 82, no. 1, pp. 108–116. DOI:10.1016/j.bandc.2013.02.012
14. Muris P. et al. The malevolent side of human nature: A meta-analysis and critical review of the literature on the dark triad (narcissism, machiavellianism, and psychopathy). Perspectives on Psychological Science, 2017. Vol. 12, no. 2, pp. 183–204. DOI:10.1177/1745691616666070
15. Wai M., Tiliopoulos N. The affective and cognitive empathic nature of the dark triad of personality. Personality and Individual Differences, 2012. Vol. 52, no. 7, pp. 794–799. DOI:10.1016/j.paid.2012.01.008
16. Wilson D.S., Near D., Miller R.R. Machiavellianism: A synthesis of the evolutionary and psychological literatures. Psychological Bulletin, 1996. Vol. 119, no. 2, pp. 285–299. DOI:10.1037/0033-2909.119.2.285