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Machiavellianism in medical students
J M Merrill1, Z Camacho, L F Laux
1Department of Community Medicine, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas 77092.
The American Journal of the Medical Sciences
|May 1, 1993
Summary
High Machiavellianism in medical students correlates with negative patient attitudes and reliance on technology. This trait, prevalent in 15% of students, indicates potential indifference to patient well-being.
Area of Science:
- Medical Education
- Psychology
- Healthcare Professionalism
Background:
- Effective primary care requires identifying personal qualities in physicians.
- Machiavellianism was selected as a contrasting trait to the ideal family physician.
- Understanding student traits is crucial for medical educators.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the relationship between Machiavellianism and professional characteristics in medical students.
- To assess how Machiavellianism influences attributional style toward patients.
- To determine if Machiavellianism predicts career specialty choices.
Main Methods:
- A survey assessed Machiavellianism scores in 167 freshmen and 823 seniors across four medical schools.
- Machiavellianism scores were correlated with professional role characteristics, patient attributional style, and specialty choice.
- Statistical analysis was used to identify significant relationships.
Main Results:
- 15% of surveyed students scored positively for Machiavellianism.
- Men exhibited higher Machiavellianism scores than women.
- High Machiavellianism was linked to reliance on high-tech medicine, external locus of control, intolerance of ambiguity, and authoritarianism.
- Seniors with high Machiavellianism showed a negative attributional style towards geriatric and hypochondriac patients.
Conclusions:
- Machiavellianism can serve as a valid measure of medical student indifference towards patients.
- Findings highlight the need to address specific personality traits in medical training.
- Addressing these traits may improve patient-centered care and physician empathy.
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