Christie obtained his bachelor's degree from the University of Tulsa in 1942, became a U.S. citizen, and served in the Air Force during World War II.
[3] Christie was married to Delores Kreisman, an associate clinical professor of psychiatry, and had five children: a son named Lance, and three daughters, Rebecca, Gail, and Margaret Kellogg.
It is the first book on the psychology construct that would be named "Machiavellianism", and was the catalyst of creating an entire field of study around the personality trait.
[4]: 3 While conceptualizing a scale for manipulative behavior, he was reminded of the works of Niccolò Machiavelli, which shocked and intrigued Christie when he was an undergraduate.
[5] Christie and his colleagues would then develop a psychometric test consisting of colloquialized statements similar to the general writing style of Machiavelli, naming their personality construct "Machiavellianism".