In Charge or in Control?

The current psychological literature, devoted to this field of study, suggests two unresolved problems. The first problem concerns the possible scope of metamorphic effects of power. Previous studies in this field, employed the experimental design, which traced the cause-and-effect relationships, however allowed to track only short-term changes of one’s behavior. As the result, it is still unknown whether having power over others can actually change an individual (i.e. their more stable characteristics, beliefs and views) or whether it can only impact their short-term behavior. The second problem is related to the mixed (i.e. positive and negative) effects of power. Study results show that having power over others is associated with both, positive and negative impact on society, but only positive effects on the individuals who hold power. The mixed effects of power are still unexplained and require further research.

The researchers hypothesize that personal sense of power, stemming from the position occupied in the social hierarchy, is multidimensional. It comprises both positive (a sense of personal control and autonomy related to responsibility) and negative aspects (a sense of control over others associated with a sense of superiority and impunity). It could explain the mixed results of power on individuals, described in psychological literature.

Apart from testing this hypothesis, researchers will also investigate the scope of changes occurring in individuals, who hold positions of power. They will examine whether the behavioral changes are only short-term or whether they also impact more permanent characteristics, such as beliefs or personality of these individuals.

The project consists of two research lines: a survey line (Study 1) and an experimental line (Studies 2,3,4). The studies will be preceded by a series of pilot studies, which will test the manipulations and scales employed in the survey and the experiments.

Study 1 will be conducted using a longitudinal design (3 waves scheduled about 5-6 months apart). The number of respondents in the first wave will equal N = 420 and the target number of people who will participate in all three waves, N = 100-120. The researcher will control the initial position of an individual in the hierarchy. They will measure the subjective sense of power, the sense of personal control and control over others. They will examine social effects of power (e.g. egocentric perspective, lowered empathy, increased self-esteem, tendency to evaluate others more negatively, and stereotyping), and social beliefs, at the time of Studies 1, 2 and 3.

Additionally, the researchers plan to conduct confirmatory factor analyses, in order to test the hypothesized two-factorial structure of the feeling of power and to test cross-lagged autoregressive models, in order to track longitudinal effects of personal control and control over others. In Studies 2, 3 and 4 they will manipulate feelings of control over own outcomes and over others' outcomes, independently of each other, in order to verify the cause-and-effect relationships.

The relations of power are present in everyday interactions between people. Therefore, investigating the underlying structure of power and identifying its socially beneficial and detrimental aspects is an important and worthwhile research task. It is especially important to study the long-term effects of power, which have not been fully examined so far. The results of this research will contribute to the development and refinement of the theoretical concept of power. They will also enable the analysis of the internal structure of personal sense of power. Overall, the project will have practical implications for organizational psychology.