FWU Journal of Social Sciences, Spring 2020, Vol.14, No.1, 28-36 Moderating Role of Trust within the Relationship between Machiavellianism and Marital Satisfaction Muhammad Usama Gondal, Irsa Fatima Makhdoom and Najma Iqbal Malik Department of Psychology, University of Sargodha Marital satisfaction is one of the most important factors in a married life. Previous studies have concluded that trust and Machiavellianism affect marital satisfaction (Atta, Adil, Shujja, & Shakir, 2013; Hyla, 2011).Present study aimed at exploring the moderating role of Trust for the relationship of Machiavellianism with marital satisfaction. Urdu versions of Machiavellianism sub-scale of the Dark triad scale (Gul-e-Sehar & Fatima, 2016), ENRICH Marital Satisfaction scale (Shakir, 2012) and Trust scale (Shakir, 2012) were used in present study. 193 married individuals were taken up to age 60.Trust acted as a moderator for the relationship of Machiavellianism and marital satisfaction in such a way that the relationship between the Machiavellianism and marital satisfaction became significantly negative when the level of trust was low. Keywords: trust, machiavellianism, marital satisfaction, married individuals. Marriage is the basic unit of a society, particularly in a collectivistic one. Especially, in the Muslim culture of Pakistan, marriage has a prime importance. Here, marriage is a universal phenomenon, and unlike the Western culture, family formation and childbearing is contingent to the marriage here. It is even more important for girls as they are felt as secure after marriage. In this culture, most of the time it is arranged by the parents, otherwise, the couple doesn’t get prestige in the family. Moreover, it is the bond between two families and not only two individuals (Shahzad, 2017). These traditions bring some complexities to the marital life of the couple, where being successful in one’s marriage is even more important and even more challenging to the couple. There are many factors that influence marital satisfaction of the married couple. Within these factors, personality factors are particularly significant. One such factor is Machiavellianism, i.e.,a deceitful interpersonal style with a prime focus on self-interests and with disregard for ethical principles (Jones & Paulhus, 2009). Apart from this, trust is very important contributor to marital satisfaction. By trusting each other, spouses can live together happily; without trust, a marital relationship is unlikely to be successful. Correspondence concerning this article should be addressed to Dr. Najma Iqbal Malik, Associate Professor, Chairperson, Department of Psychology, University of Sargodha Email.najmamalik@gmail.com Contribution of Authors: 1. Conceived the idea, planned the study, data collection and drafted the manuscript. 2. Helped in data collection & data analysis, helped in literature review and referencing 3. Critically revised the manuscript and helped in literature review and referencing