Economist: The Psychology of Power

"Power tends to corrupt, and absolute power corrupts absolutely. Great men are almost always bad men." - Lord Acton

This Economist article discusses research that attempts to explain the often observed phenomena of powerful people acting in morally hypocritical ways. Examples are so rampant of power abuse (think Eliot Spitzer and Larry Craig in politics, the Enron executives, etc.) one wonders why it seems that so many powerful people feel they are above the rules of society. Is it just that human nature is inherently amoral and the misbehaviors of power people are more visible than the average person's? Or is there something about power that corrupts as Lord Acton suggested?

According to researchers Joris Lammers and Adam Galinksy, it seems that indeed power has a corrupting effect on individuals. The results of their studies indicated that persons in positions of higher power tend to judge others more harshly on moral scenarios than they judge themselves. Person in lower power positions tend to judge themselves more harshly in moral scenarios, while giving more lenience to others on the same issue. A moral issue asked in this study included whether it was right or wrong to evade taxes? Higher-power people said it was wrong for others to evade taxes but not as wrong if they evaded them; lower-power people said it was wrong for others to evade taxes, but even more wrong if they themselves evaded them them.

The researchers suggest that the sense of entitlement that comes with power may result from the need to maintain social hierarchies in society. Lower ranking individuals may judge themselves more harshly as a way to indicate their submissiveness to higher ranking individuals, thus appeasing those in authority positions. In the same sense, dominant individuals keep lessers in check by making it known that they are the ones who make the rules, not follow them.

This article made me think of the alpha male mentality, hierarchies in business organizations, and how being in a position of power often makes you a liar and a selfish egoist. It can be a real catch-22 when the people we put the most trust in to run a community are also the ones who will abuse it the most. Ayn Rand may have embraced the concept of the uninhibited Ego, but I think Ego unchecked leads to the ruin not only of the man himself but of all who look to him. Power, like all things in life, must be balanced because leaders need followers as much as followers need leaders.

The Psychology of Power