The purpose of the present study was to provide evidence of discriminant validity for
the aberrant self-promotion construct proposed by Gustafson and Ritzer (1994a). The
study attempted to differentiate the aberrant self-promotion construct from the
Machiavellianism construct proposed by Christie (1970a). The aberrant self-promoter
(ASP) has been conceptualized as exhibiting high self-esteem, low social desirability,
and a high degree of antisocial behavior. In contrast, the Machiavellian has been
conceptualized as an individual who is coldly rational in determining his or her actions
and who is adept at engaging in manipulation to achieve a desired end. It was proposed
in the present study that although both the ASP and the Machiavellian may be
characterized by high narcissism, high self-esteem, and low social desirability, the
Machiavellian does not exhibit the antisocial behavior that is a key component of the
ASP pattern. The proposed differentiation, based on 28 undergraduate ASPs and 19
undergraduate Machiavellians, involved a structured interview and a prisoner's dilemma
game. The results from the interview showed that the ASPs scored significantly higher
on the total score, as well as on the subscore for a narcissism-related factor and on the
subscore for an antisocial behavior factor. The prisoner's dilemma results, however,
revealed no significant differences between the ASPs and Machs. Discussion focused on
the insufficient salience of the prisoner's dilemma experimental situation and on the
research and organizational implications of the ASP/Machiavellian differentiation
supported by the interview.
next to an author's name indicates that all files or directories associated with their ETD are accessible from the Virginia Tech campus network only.
![[VT]](http://scholar.lib.vt.edu/images/ETD-db/restricted.gif)
