Examining the Relationship between Machiavellianism and Paranoia

To investigate the relationship between Machiavellianism and paranoid tendencies we administered the Mach IV scale and Fenigstein and Vanable's Paranoia scale to 150 students enrolled in 4 sections of a course, Introduction to Psychology, at a university in the Middle South. Scores on the 2 were significantly and positively correlated (Pearson r = .50). Men had a significantly higher mean score on Machiavellianism than women. Although men obtained a higher mean on the Paranoia scale than women, the difference was not statistically significant. Implications are discussed.