To the individual, Machiavellian ethics can suggest a kill or be killed mentality, which is built on mistrust. If one adopted these ethics in a professional setting, such as in the office or the classroom, a domino effect will occur spreading mistrust and sabotage. The Machiavellian individual will begin to trust that his misleading tendencies steers the listener in the direction that accomplishes his goals. Individual effects don't end there. Modern marketing strategies, which purposely focus on the aspects of life that most individuals are self conscious about, may cause customers to develop major psychological issues. As described in the film Ad and the Ego, Customers view these ads constantly and form a self image that is impossible to achieve. This creates customers who need such products in order to feel like they are making progress towards their "ideal" self image. …show more content…
The long term effects of the society as a whole is most clearly viewed in the marketing practices as well.
Featured in the film Ad and the Ego, The marketing strategies are often seen as abusive because it is filled with cheats and frauds who are unethically manipulating customers into buying products they don't really need. Effects of the marketing strategy has lasting effects on the environment. Successful Machiavellian marketing strategies are constant and manipulative crating an over consuming society. Our society [5% of the worlds population] uses 3/4 of the world's resources and produces most of the worlds waste. No other society has such an aggressive marketing system and no other society comes close to our waste production or resource
consumption. Machiavellian ethics in relation to academia also has lasting effects. The pressure to succeed in such a competitive arena often creates Machiavellian win at all costs mentalities. Machiavellian ethics is a constant gray area in competition. While healthy competition is acceptable, where do you draw the line? If a student were to use someone else's idea as his own, could it be considered a resource that would otherwise be used by another? The use of this work could be considered for the greater good in that the student is that much closer to achieving his goal. However, if he is not already caught by the institutions academic honesty policy, these study habits will harm the student later in life.
A student who practices Machiavellian principles fails to gain the characteristics important in development. The student will fail to mature into the person the institution is designed to produce. The student will not learn how to think critically or even have the ability to develop his own thoughts. This is the true loss for students who practice Machiavellian ethics.