Synopsis:

A look at the different types of machiavellian, how they interact with one another as well as a brief on how machiavellianism first manifests within people.

Link:

http://illimitablemen.com/2014/11/15/nuance-in-manipulative-style-the-machiavellian-trifecta/

Excerpt:

There are people who demonstrate incredibly manipulative tendencies from a young age. Be it a pronounced desire to manipulate, a natural aptitude to manipulate, or in exceptional cases, the manifestation of both qualities simultaneously. We will characterise individuals who show both or either behaviour as "naturals." The naturals fall into what I have distinguished as two distinct groups: "The Kings" and "The Generals." The remainder of the Machiavellian population are known as "The Advisers." They learn to become Machiavellian early on in life due to traumatic or otherwise life-changing events, but for all intent and purpose before the inception of said event were not naturally predisposed to Machiavellian thinking. These people are socialised Machiavellians, the Machiavellians of struggle and necessity, and it is they who make up the final archetype which completes the trifecta.

Like most things learned in childhood and to a slightly lesser extent, adolescence, there is a certain intuitive competence acquired from one's early life experiences. With all the impressionableness and raw aptitude that is embodied in the intelligence of youth the ferocity of necessity clashes with trial and error's reactive and adaptive curiosity to give rise to the birth of potential greatness: Machiavellian prowess. This is a universal premise which applies to all crafts, hobbies and arts. The younger the person, the more pronounced the effect of their exposure to an idea; for the young are infinitely more malleable than the old and unlike the old, they need not de-program and then reprogram themselves: they are a clean slate. Machiavellianism is in that respect, by no means different from any other field of study or influence. The younger an individual adopts Machiavellianism as their personal philosophy and likewise practices it as their mode of operation, the more likely one is to proficiently exercise the power of the art.

The development of Machiavellianism often coincides with the development or redevelopment of "the self." In childhood, adolescence and early adulthood this process is rather simply "the development of the self." For older folks the same formation (or replacement of) personality is preceded by de-programming (unlearning previously learned behaviours) in favour of learning what are deemed more efficient ones. This is a practice known more vaguely as metaprogramming, a process where one undergoes cognitive rewiring via psychological reconditioning. There are a number of ways this can be achieved, but that is a whole other topic unto itself reserved for another time.

The framework which begins to take hold in the mind of someone in the process of becoming Machiavellian causes them to undergo a personality shift. This shift occurs as part of the internalisation of a new and rapidly evolving mental schema. And so it follows that it is upon the back of an internalised Machiavellian framework that social skills such as profoundly accurate analysis and the charm of persuasion manifest as reflexive and natural-seeming proficiencies. In a Machiavellian they are the product of something bigger, rather than skills learnt in and of themselves for the sake of themselves. For the competent Machiavellian, they are merely symptomatic exemplifications of their Machiavellian aptitude having attained a certain degree of refinement.

Any questions you have I will endeavour to answer. Enjoy the read.

More relevant reading material: http://illimitablemen.com/power/