In modern social psychology, the tendency towards a universal interpretation of the phenomenon of Machiavellianism developed in parallel with theoretical discussions related to the analysis of the nature of the individual and, of course, with an adequate definition of the concept itself. The universal approach to the analysis of the Machiavellian type of personality is confirmed, in particular, by the great popularity that the concept of "Machiavellian intelligence" enjoys in various areas of psychological science. Drawing on the data of evolutionary biology, some experts (N. Humphrey and others) discover its properties even in the behavior of primates. In this sense, this concept quite clearly acquires a symbolic meaning, uniting the efforts of scientists developing this problem. According to Andrew Whiten and Richard W. Burn, the idea of "Machiavellian intelligence" brought together the disparate origins of the idea that primate intelligence is rooted in problems that arise in complex social life. The idea that the mind begins with social manipulation, deceit, and insidious cooperation seems to explain many aspects of human psychology and activity. Group life must be beneficial to each member as a whole, otherwise it would not happen, but only individual (and kindred) benefits determine the fate of evolution. For each individual primate, this creates an environment conducive to the use of social manipulation to achieve personal gain at the expense of other members of the group, but without causing such a violation that endangers individual group membership. Particularly useful for this purpose are manipulations in which the losers are unaware of their loss, as in some types of deception, or in which compensatory gains arise, as in some types of cooperation.