Does power corrupt or enable? When and why power facilitates self-interested behavior

J Appl Psychol. 2012 May;97(3):681-9. doi: 10.1037/a0026811. Epub 2012 Jan 16.

Abstract

Does power corrupt a moral identity, or does it enable a moral identity to emerge? Drawing from the power literature, we propose that the psychological experience of power, although often associated with promoting self-interest, is associated with greater self-interest only in the presence of a weak moral identity. Furthermore, we propose that the psychological experience of power is associated with less self-interest in the presence of a strong moral identity. Across a field survey of working adults and in a lab experiment, individuals with a strong moral identity were less likely to act in self-interest, yet individuals with a weak moral identity were more likely to act in self-interest, when subjectively experiencing power. Finally, we predict and demonstrate an explanatory mechanism behind this effect: The psychological experience of power enhances moral awareness among those with a strong moral identity, yet decreases the moral awareness among those with a weak moral identity. In turn, individuals' moral awareness affects how they behave in relation to their self-interest.

Publication types

  • Comparative Study

MeSH terms

  • Adult
  • Ego*
  • Employment / psychology*
  • Female
  • Humans
  • Male
  • Middle Aged
  • Morals*
  • Power, Psychological*
  • Social Behavior*
  • Surveys and Questionnaires
  • Young Adult