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Machiavellianism and executive functioning in patients with delusional disorder

Martin Brüne1, Miriam Basilowski, Isabel Bömmer

  • 1Department of Psychiatry, LWL University Hospital, Ruhr-University of Bochum, Alexandrinenstr. 1, 44791 Bochum, Germany. martin.bruene@rub.de

Psychological Reports
|April 21, 2010
PubMed

Insights

Patients with Delusional Disorder show impaired executive functioning, linked to increased Machiavellianism, similar to Parkinson's disease findings. This suggests frontal lobe dysfunction impacts social attitudes in Delusional Disorder.

Area of Science:

  • Neuroscience
  • Psychiatry
  • Cognitive Psychology

Background:

  • Patients with Delusional Disorder (DD) exhibit executive functioning deficits impacting social cognition.
  • In Parkinson's disease, impaired executive control correlates with increased Machiavellianism (manipulative behavior).

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the association between Machiavellianism and executive functioning deficits in Delusional Disorder.
  • To compare these associations with findings in Parkinson's disease.

Main Methods:

  • Executive functioning and Machiavellianism were assessed in 22 patients with DD.
  • A control group of 22 healthy individuals, matched for sex, intelligence, and education, was included.
  • Statistical analysis compared Machiavellianism and executive functioning scores between groups.

Main Results:

  • No significant differences in Machiavellianism scores or intelligence were found between patients with DD and controls.
  • Patients with DD demonstrated poorer performance on executive functioning tasks compared to controls.
  • Impaired executive functioning in DD was significantly associated with higher Machiavellianism, especially cynical views, independent of intelligence or illness duration.

Conclusions:

  • Findings in Delusional Disorder mirror those in Parkinson's disease, linking poorer executive functioning to increased Machiavellianism.
  • Executive functioning deficits, particularly in frontal lobe functions, may influence interpersonal attitudes and personality traits in Delusional Disorder.

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