scored low on MACH-IV test. I want to be better. Where do I start?

Doctor_Mayhem · 2015-05-23T22:50:07+00:00

Sadly, you doing so 'badly' in this test means that you are a good person who believes in the inherent good in this world. The reason this is sad is because such people are eaten alive in this modern society, whereas in a sane society, you'd get treated better. My suggestion? Go into the trades, or some job that has less politics.

However, I don't think even those will be safe in the long run.

Just internalize these messages, "People = Shit, therefore little I do to them is truly bad." and "The graveyards and divorce courts are full of fools who thought they could trust."

The minute you realize that your "friends," hell, even your own mother, are willing to sell you out for some petty gain, and that all your fellow employees are your enemies, you will get farther.

ScholarInRed · 2015-05-23T19:23:18+00:00

I realized I needed to understand how "evil" people perceive things, function and play people.

It's one of those things where your genetics and upbringing are very large factors.

Most sociopaths, which are the easiest thing to define as 'evil' if you believe in that concept, showed signs of their condition early in life. This is almost universally true of serial killers, and Machiavellianism is, again, almost universally present in such people.

I've always been quite detached from other people, essentially because they're all so fucking stupid. That's just how I saw it, all my life. All the kids my age were plainly morons, the older kids more on my level weren't interested by the mental faculties they had available, adults were illogical for saying "Do this because I said so" etc etc.

I just didn't relate to anyone for most of my life. That builds up a certain veneer, keeping people from becoming truly important unless I chose to take an interest in them.

my idealistic outlook and goody two shoes attitude

You seem very different from me. You'll probably struggle to assimilate Machiavellian traits and it will be in very fundamental ways which are hard both to identify and to control, at first. Trying too hard to fight these urges could feasibly drive you insane.

But, if you're dedicated to this, the first step is to be more passive. Watch the people around you as though they're on TV. Soon you will be able to watch the emotions cross their face. This understanding is so sharp and quick I can't explain it. You just see what went through someone's head and you know what it feels like, but you don't feel it, you just observe it coldly.

By that point, you will have acquired the 'night vision' for emotions, in faces and in body language, and emotions are your prey.

When learning to hunt, always start small.

Edit: By the way, aside from the uselessness of the vast majority of online intelligence/personality tests, I was honest with this link (http://personality-testing.info/tests/MACH-IV.php) and scored 91 out of 100.

ThrowingMyslfOutther · 2015-05-24T11:26:10+00:00

INTJ
89/100 Mach-IV

You're not entitled to anything in this life. You either step on people to get ahead in life, or be stepped on and stay at the bottom. But, if you want to be on top, don't look like an overt arsehole while getting there, have some tact and make your calculated moves. If the person is worthy, you may step on their back to get up the wall, but then lend your arm out to pull them up too, and you've just earnt yourself an ally who will assist you and cover your arse.

Remember, interaction only occurs when there is benefit to the initiator. Your intel, emotional and social intellegence, networks, abilities and resources. If there is mutual reciprocation of resources between people, then you have a symbotic friendship. If not, someone is either the host or parasite of the relationship.

[deleted] · 2015-05-23T22:39:38+00:00

[permanently deleted]

Ratcheta · 2015-05-24T01:50:43+00:00

79/100. I tend to sway depending on the situation. ISTP or some shit.

Shanguerrilla · 2015-05-24T07:45:48+00:00

I'm INFP personality.. that isn't important, it just is useful as in directions. You can get great directions to where you want to go, but they are useless if you don't know where to start following the directions from.

There is nothing 'wrong' with your personality... there is also nothing 'evil' about people 'playing' you. No human being can take from another. We all have free agency. We give that power away.

In the most fundamental way: The reason you feel like a doormat, the reason you feel people perceive your personality and use it against you, the reason you feel manipulated.. is all your own doing and your own 'giving'. The simplest cause I can imagine is if 'we' do not self-validate, if we do not accept and like ourselves, if instead we look for that validation and acceptance from others- then we will give them what they want for it (and what we get in return will be useless).

They actually didn't need ANY perception better than yours. They didn't have to figure you out. They didn't have to play or push, IF what happens is we leave a hole where we should be validating and accepting ourselves, then we are the ones trying to fill it from the source of 'them'. We barter to do this. We were the ones playing ourselves, playing helpless, playing the victim or the manipulated, but it was all our own doing because we are in control of us. There was no trap, merely an opportunity that we took. It's like in No More Mr. Nice Guy. "Nice guys" are usually anything but.. not really and what is really faulty isn't the person or the personality or that they are 'too nice', the real faulty mechanic is that they use a bad roadmap. A useless map will never get you where you want to go. If you want acceptance and validation you have to give it to yourself rather than barter for it.

(edit: just took your test... I got a 77, I'm not sure how I feel about that)

Alfred_E_Numan · 2015-05-25T00:22:04+00:00

I scored 94/100...

If it interests you I'm an INTP.

foldpak111 · 2015-05-25T04:16:53+00:00

It's important to understand that humans are glorified apes. We are just animals, no different than wolves or lions. We respond to our biological impulses; sex and resources. 99% of the population will sabotage their relationship with you for those two things. The other 1% are top tier alpha males. People like Ghandi or MJD, leaders with laser like focus who see the deeper implications of life.

You need to focus on only these things in life; study human psychology, lift, and be extraordinary at your profession/college. Make money, get strong, and learn! Always remember, the more you learn, the more you earn.

QQ_L2P · 2015-05-25T05:49:02+00:00

In addition to what /u/ScholarInRed said, you're going to have to work your way across the spectrum. If you're currently at the "goodie two shoes" end, you need to know what the middle looks like before you can work your way over to the "cold and dissociated" side of things.

If you're a massive people pleaser, and there's a possibility that you are if people are taking advantage of you really easily, read No More Mr Nice Guy. You're going to have to start breaking down old habits and forming new ones. Peeling the onion back a layer at a time, so to say. A task which you shouldn't take lightly. If you don't reconcile what you are doing with a reason why, you'll just end up hurting yourself for no real benefit. A dispassionate people pleaser can be found as often as a pit if gold at the end of the rainbow.

_the_shape_ · 2015-05-25T06:44:17+00:00

The core areas you'd have to get down are:

-becoming comfortable with ordering people to do this, that, or the other, often times refusing to take "no" from them for an answer, demonstrating little to no willingness to compromise

-becoming comfortable with telling people "no", you will not do as they ask or command

A bit further still, what separates the "evil man" from the "man of character" can be broken down thusly:

Narcissism - He thinks he's too good to pay mind to the rabble, he sees himself as above them, so whatever they desire can never be as valuable as what he desires. He minimizes or outright dismisses them from a sense of entitlement and superiority. This is your typical arrogant, smug asshole type.

Machiavellianism - Every interaction, every person, anything and everything is seen as being either "useful" or "useless". Everyone is analyzed through his or her potential for furthering the goals of the Machiavellian. Example: does this person have a propensity for being a blabber mouth? If so, then probably useless, even potentially disruptive, but could be strategically used as a mouthpiece to spread something the Machiavellian wishes to disseminate.

Psychopath - Lack of empathy and disregard for other people."You can't make an omelet without breaking a few eggs". That's the psychopath in a nutshell, and he just doesn't care who gets hurt or outright crushed along his way to accomplishing whatever it is that he wants to accomplish.

Sadism - Glee in pain and suffering in others. He gets off on hurting others in any capacity. He may stand up for something like the man of character, but he'll enjoy it more if it makes someone else feel pain. Example: he may have to fire someone at work because protocol demands it, but he may take advantage of the situation and do it in a more humiliating and degrading manner than necessary. He's the type to kick someone when they're down, and to continue kicking them until they see blood, then maybe break a finger or two of the man down just for the hell of it.

Speaking of blood, all four pretty much bleed into one another. One does not necessarily mean that any one of the other three are present, but I'd say you can comfortably bet that you'll find that - to pick one from the group - a narcissist will probably also be sadistic because inflicting pain heightens the feeling of superiority in him. A psychopath though may not be Machiavellian, instead acting mostly or entirely on impulse without being calculating in nature, but a Machiavellian is probably psychopathic on account of using others (and not caring) as pawns.

Warning though - I understand where you're coming from, wanting to stand up for yourself, perhaps also have people respect you enough that they don't mess with you, but dipping into the world of the dark triad does not come without consequences, sometimes incredibly severe consequences. I'm not speaking now from something I've read or someone else I've observed - no, I myself am a narcissist, and it's an incredibly double-edged disposition to possess. I'm constantly oscillating between high points (feelings of grandiosity, incredibly powerful urges to dominate, extreme elation when I succeed in something) and low points (periods of depression because I failed, extreme frustration with not getting my way). As Nietzsche wrote: "when fighting monsters, take care that you yourself do not become a monster". Learn to stand up for yourself, yes, for sure, but don't push it so far where you end up becoming some sort of "sick fuck".

rolandontheriver · 2015-05-25T20:18:52+00:00

Out of curiosity where does a 69/100 put me in terms of swallowing the pill

Hilarious_Haplogroup · 2015-05-25T23:52:41+00:00

Actually, you could choose to use your "naturally good natured" side to your advantage...it will be easier for you to wait until you see a situation of great gain before you do anything sneaky or Machiavellian to fulfill your objective...you thereby won't tip your hand like someone who is compulsively seeking gain. They'll never see it coming.

rp_valiant · 2015-05-26T11:57:46+00:00

91/100 mach-IV here. Funnily enough I could see exactly how to get 100/100 by exaggerating some of my opinions but I was genuinely curious to see where I lie accurately.

The best way to become more Machiavellian is to stop caring about morality and doing the right thing. Only care about your goals. You only get to experience this life through your own eyes so why bother trying to work for others' benefit when you could spend the same time and make your own life better?

Certain characters can be excellent to observe to see how Machiavellians work in practice. Frank Underwood from the US House of Cards series, Francis Urquhart from the UK House of Cards, and Littlefinger from Game of Thrones. These individuals are ruthlessly self-centered and all their actions, both overt and covert, are intended to benefit themselves. These characters are excellent at pretending to be working to the benefit of others but it's ultimately a lie and manipulation, and those who have been manipulated often realise too late to help their own situation.

Be the man who works the puppet strings from the shadows, not the man who is the puppet.

ChiefReap · 2015-05-23T20:51:11+00:00

I can't take that test accurately because I think I have a good estimate on how my answers will influence the algorithm.

One thing that intrigues me is that I consider myself Machiavellian but when I'm trying to get girls I try suppressing that side of me due to a bad strategy thinking that girls like happy and kind guys. Now that I've learned Red Pill it's probably better not to suppress it.

iLLprincipLeS · 2015-05-23T22:39:30+00:00

i have yet to find an accurate test. answering honestly i scored 77 but you can score 100 or 0 if you want, the questions are too obvious like any "default" test.

this is where you start: http://illimitablemen.com/

but i find it a waste of time generally to try and become "dark triad" if you did not experience some specific set of things..

gimmieareason · 2015-05-23T19:34:05+00:00

I got 60. Is that a bad thing?

csehszlovakze · 2015-05-23T20:41:00+00:00

Have you ever taken any aspergers tests? If not this would be a good time.

audscias · 2015-05-23T20:25:07+00:00

"Your score was 76 of 100. "

Do I get a prize or anything?

StrikePrice · 2015-05-24T01:20:51+00:00

I got 99/100 on this test. I'm also an extreme narcissist. The only person on this earth I cannot manipulate is a psychopath. As such, I'm always on the look out for psychopaths and avoiding them at all costs. I once tangled with a psychopath and was lucky to survive it. Psychopaths are very difficult to manipulate. Thank god I saw him coming first or he would have gotten to me.

You don't want to do better on this test. There is no way for a normal person to think like me. Believe me. I enjoy manipulating and being manipulated. It gets my dick up. I talk to normal people all the time. You cannot see the angles I see. You cannot understand people's weakness like I do. I guarantee 100% that I can make you think you are manipulating me when I am actually manipulating you. I can destroy you personally and professionally and you will still think that I am the only friend you have left in the world.

The best thing you can do is stay far far far away from people like me. The problem is how do you see me coming? That's the rub, because it's very hard. But if you think you can come into my world and compete with me, don't. You will get owned. The only blanket you have to protect you is an old adage: You can't cheat an honest man. The moment you go even a little bit dark, someone darker will be there to own you.

Title	scored low on MACH-IV test. I want to be better. Where do I start?
Author	biblio82
Upvotes	14
Comments	61
Date	May 23, 2015 7:04 PM UTC (11 years ago)
Subreddit	Posted in /r/TheRedPill
Original Link	https://old.reddit.com/r/TheRedPill/comments/370jrx/scored_low_on_machiv_test_i_want_to_be_better/
Archive Link	https://theredarchive.com/r/TheRedPill/scored-low-on-mach-iv-test-i-want-to-be-better.32879 https://theredarchive.com/post/32879

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