Poor old Niccolo Machiavelli. There he was, a political philosopher toiling away in 16th century Florence, developing high-minded theories and writing The Prince — all the while blissfully unaware that he was doomed to have his name become synonymous with immoral cynicism. Merits of his work as a philosopher aside, his views do shed some light on a couple of darkly intriguing personality traits: the willingness and ability to use deceit and manipulation to achieve one’s goals.

Researchers in psychology have been paying more attention to these characteristics and how people use them in personal relationships. Writing for Forbes.com, Mark Travers, Ph.D. says, “Research published in Frontiers In Psychology examined the emotional characteristics of machiavellianism, revealing a complex interplay between its emotional deficits, lower levels of empathy and the interpersonal manipulation that follows.” He then points out two key characteristics of machiavellianism that the research reveals.

“Emotional Dysfunction“

If you’ve ever known a person in your personal or professional life who seems to be a bit cold and strikingly unemotional, you may have been in contact with a person tending toward machiavellianism. Travers points out that there may be more to this characteristic than meets the eye: “This emotional disconnect is not merely a lack of empathy; it involves specific emotional deficits, such as ‘alexithymia,’ the inability to identify and describe one’s own emotions and ‘anhedonia,’ a diminished sensitivity to pleasurable experiences.”

The wonder, then, is how a person like this can get ahead socially and professionally. The answer may be that these people may also have a bit of animal cunning that lets them read what other people are feeling. Having diagnosed a social situation or another person accurately, they have no remorse cynically using that knowledge to their advantage.

One result of this behavior is that a person with machiavellian traits may have few if any friends and struggle with romantic relationships. Travers again points to the research to explain this. “While they may understand basic social cues and use them strategically,” he says of these people, “they often lack genuine cognitive empathy, which involves understanding complex emotions and the nuances of others’ experiences… These emotional blind spots make it difficult for them to connect with others on an emotional level.”

“Being Deceitful For Personal Gain“

If you’ve ever wondered where the saying — The ends justify the means — comes from, now you know: Machiavelli. A bit ironically, the philosopher himself never exactly phrased this idea in those words. But people later succinctly summarized his ideas by applying the ancient Greek maxim to Machiavelli’s philosophy.

Unfortunately for anyone who has to deal with a person with machiavellian traits, these people are perfectly willing to manipulate, deceive, flatter — whatever it takes — to achieve their own goals. Sadly, these individuals may also believe that that’s just the way people are. Travers sums up their situation, saying, “Their emotional deficits can lead to a cynical view of humanity, as they may interpret others’ behavior through the lens of their own manipulative tendencies, assuming that everyone else is equally self-serving.”

As with many personality traits, machiavellianism is not an all-or-nothing characteristic. Which is why you may find yourself dealing with a person who is a bit manipulative, deceitful and cunning — but not always and not terribly so. In any case, if you’re forced to interact with such an individual, it helps to understand that they may be coping with tendencies and beliefs they don’t understand or even know they have. This doesn’t let them off the hook for needing to take personal responsibility, but it may help you to recognize the situation and protect yourself from being manipulated.