Handbook of Management Scales/Desire for control

Description
A new measure of Machiavellianism, the Machiavellian Personality Scale (MPS), was developed and validated over two studies. Machiavellianism is conceptualized as one's propensity to distrust others, engage in amoral manipulation, seek control over others, and seek status for oneself. Study 1 developed and tested the factor structure of the scale, whereas Study 2 provided evidence for the convergent, divergent, and criterion-related validity of the MPS. The results of these studies supported the a priori factor structure of the MPS and indicated that it is a valid predictor of such outcomes as job satisfaction, task performance, and counterproductive work behaviors.

Definition
Desire for control is defined as a need to exercise dominance over interpersonal situations to minimize the extent to which others have power.

Items

 * I like to give the orders in interpersonal situations.
 * I enjoy having control over other people.
 * I enjoy being able to control the situation.

Source

 * Dahling et al. (2009): The Development and Validation of a New Machiavellianism Scale. Journal of Management, Vol. 35, No. 2, pp. 219-257.