An exploratory study of the link between Machiavellianism and burnout

Abstract

This study investigated the link between Machiavellianism and burnout. A total of 1073 schoolteachers (83% female) completed an online survey. Machiavellianism was assessed with the MACH IV and burnout with the Maslach Burnout Inventory. General health status, job satisfaction, and life satisfaction were additionally evaluated using single-item measures. Machiavellianism correlated positively with burnout and its components (emotional exhaustion, depersonalization, and diminished personal accomplishment), and negatively with general health status, job satisfaction, and life satisfaction. The burnout-Machiavellianism association appeared to be primarily driven by the depersonalization component of burnout. In women, the relationship between Machiavellianism and depersonalization was better accounted for by a quadratic model, following a U-shaped curve. In men, a quadratic model did not outperform a linear model. Compared to low-Machiavellianism women, high-Machiavellianism women exhibited higher levels of burnout and depersonalization and lower levels of personal accomplishment, job satisfaction, and life satisfaction. High-Machiavellianism men exhibited higher levels of burnout and depersonalization than low-Machiavellianism men. Overall, no substantial association was found between Machiavellianism and emotional exhaustion―the core symptom of burnout. Our findings suggest that Machiavellianism is linked to burnout in a component-specific, sex-dependent, and partly nonlinear fashion. The practical importance of the burnout-Machiavellianism association requires clarification.