The Machiavellian Paradox: A Curvilinear Analysis of Performance and Psychological Distress in a Student Population

Machiavellianism, a central component of the Dark Triad, has been associated with both adaptive and maladaptive outcomes. While its strategic and goal-oriented nature may facilitate performance in competitive environments, it may simultaneously incur psychological costs. Drawing on the Conservation of Resources (COR) theory (Hobfoll, 1989), the present study investigates the dual role of Machiavellianism by examining its relationship with performance and depressive symptomatology.A sample of 100 participants completed the Mach-IV scale (Christie & Geis, 1970), the Individual Work Performance Questionnaire (Koopmans et al., 2015), and the Hamilton Depression Rating Scale (Hamilton, 1960). Pearson correlations and hierarchical quadratic regression analyses were conducted. Results revealed that Machiavellianism was positively associated with task and contextual performance, as well as counterproductive work behaviour and depression. Quadratic regression analysis confirmed an inverted-U relationship between Machiavellianism and task performance, with moderate levels associated with optimal outcomes and higher levels predicting performance decline. In contrast, depressive symptoms increased monotonically and demonstrated an accelerating pattern.These findings are consistent with a resource depletion framework, suggesting that individuals high in Machiavellian traits maintain performance through compensatory effort while incurring significant psychological costs. The study introduces the concept of functional masking, wherein external performance conceals internal distress, offering important implications for identifying high-functioning burnout in student populations