Hi-Mach
noun

- a person with a high level of manipulativeness and deceitfulness, and a cynical, unemotional temperament

—
PHRASE ORIGIN

The phrase "Hi-Mach" is derived from the psychological concept of Machiavellianism, named after Niccolò Machiavelli, a 16th-century Italian diplomat and political theorist.

The psychologists Richard Christie and Florence L. Geis developed the concept of Machiavellianism as a personality trait in the 1960s. They created the Mach IV test, a 20-question personality survey to measure an individual's level of Machiavellianism.

"High Mach" refers to individuals who score high on the Machiavellianism scale, “Low Mach" refers to those who score low.

The term "Hi-Mach" became common in psychological literature and research to describe individuals exhibiting high levels of Machiavellian traits.

—
THE EVOLUTION OF DECEPTION

For over five centuries, the ideas of Niccolò Machiavelli have strongly influenced Western politics — from Henry VIII to the American founding fathers, and others in high positions who sought to wield power, if not always ethically.

In evolutionary biology, the "Machiavellian intelligence" hypothesis suggests that our intelligence evolved not just for tool-making or problem-solving, but as a means to understand and manipulate complex social environments. It paints a picture of our ancestors as proto-politicians, constantly scheming to outwit their rivals and secure their place in the social hierarchy.

While often associated with a lack of empathy, research shows that Machiavellians often possess high “cognitive empathy”. This allows them to understand others' thoughts and feelings without necessarily sharing them, using this insight as a tool for manipulation rather than connection. On a relationship level, their ability to coldly cut ties when a relationship no longer serves their interests is also characteristic of this behaviour. Unlike narcissists who crave the spotlight, Machiavellians often prefer to operate behind the scenes as puppeteers.

These self-serving, opportunistic traits are said to explain a disproportionate number of Hi-Machs at senior corporate and political levels.

It's important to note that not all Machiavellians achieve their goals. Some become so engrossed in plotting and scheming, they fail to take decisive action when needed. As with many things in life, an overemphasis on strategy at the expense of execution can hinder progress and ultimate success.

Paul & Helga Smith

—
SYNONYMS

for "self-centred"

all about me, arrogant, believes they're God's gift, bigheaded, boastful, careerist, center of their own universe, cocky, conceited, dog in the manger, egocentric, egoistic, egomaniacal, egotistic, egotistical, feathering one's own nest, fortune-hunting, full of oneself, grandstanding, greedy, in it for themselves, in love with their own reflection, inconsiderate, inward-looking, it's all about them, know-it-all, legend in their own mind, looking out for number one, me myself and I, narcissistic, navel-gazer, on an ego trip, only cares about their own skin (out for themselves), opportunistic, prideful, prima donna, self-absorbed (-admiring, -aggrandizing, -applauding, -concerned, -congratulatory, -engrossed, -glorifying, -indulgent, -interested, -loving, -obsessed, -seeking, -serving) selfish, smug, swaggering, swellheaded, swollen-headed, thinks the world revolves around them, vain, vainglorious, wrapped up in themselves

—
SMUGGLE OWAD into a conversation today, say something like:

“If a person is disingenuous, I wonder if there’s a higher chance that they will also be a HI-MACH?”

—
Why Support OWAD?

On evenings and weekends, I research and write your daily OWAD newsletter together with Helga (my lovely wife and business partner) and our eagle-eyed daughter Jennifer. It remains FREE, AD-FREE, and ALIVE thanks to voluntary donations from appreciative readers.

If you aren’t already, please consider supporting us — even a small donation, equivalent to just 1-cup-of-coffee a month, would help us in covering expenses for mailing, site-hosting, maintenance, and service.

Just head over to DonorBox:
Please help keep OWAD alive

or

Bank transfer:
Paul Smith
IBAN: DE75 7316 0000 0002 5477 40

Important: please state as ’Verwendungszweck’: “OWAD donation” and the email address used to subscribe to OWAD.

Thanks so much,

Paul & Helga Smith