Power changes behaviour - of everyone

Do you know the novel "The Lord of the Rings", the breathtaking story about power and the fight against it’s seductive effects? This story shows frighteningly well what research also finds today:[1]

Power changes the mind and thus the personality.

As an introduction to this topic I would like to tell you a brief story about power and the effect of power:

In the novel "Lord of the Rings" Frodo, the Hobbit, experiences the seductions of power in a bad way through the ring on his own body. His originally socially positive behaviour, his virtues changed with the possession of the ring. He himself did not even notice this. Reuel Tolkien captivatingly tells how Frodo was influenced by the Ring of Power, how the power in his hands twisted his thoughts, his feelings, his goals. Only with the help and courage of his friends and other beings could Frodo resist power.

Michael Schmitz, a longtime political journalist and now a management consultant, had similar experiences when he met powerful people at close quarters:[2]

The longer the powerful exercise power, the more self-evident it seems to them and the more thoughtlessly they use the advantages and privileges that power grants them.

Schmitz and many researchers, including Fast and Robertson, can also prove this.

If it is true that power changes the mind and personality, then should it make anyone who leads others in any way, that is, has power over others, listen attentively?

Dacher Keltner, psychologist at the University of California at Berkley, says: "We are all victims of the power paradox. It can affect even those who originally wanted to use their position of power to the best of their knowledge and belief."

Power and abuse of power are closely interrelated. [4]

In the following I would like to invite you to take a closer look at the mechanisms of action of power. As I said, there is much talk and much judgement about power. But condemnations do not change the fact that power changes everyone involved. It takes a deeper understanding of the mechanisms of action of power to more easily recognize the seductions and traps of power. We must find new ways to make better use of the positive aspects and to have the negatives under control.

The positive effect of power on the powerful

First of all, power has positive aspects. For example, as power increases, strategic and abstract thinking increases. The motivation and the general mood increases and the fear is reduced. Power thus has an antidepressant effect on the powerful. The positive effects of power can be summarized as follows: [5]

Power makes the powerful smarter, more ambitious, more focused and more courageous.

Power activates brain areas similar to drugs and sex. Ian Robertson, neuroscientist and clinical psychologist at Trinity College, Dublin, has researched how power changes brain biology. For example, power increases testosterone levels, which leads to an increased uptake of the neurotransmitter dopamine, which among other things activates the reward centre. As a result, the mood, the innovative power, the courage, but also the self-centredness and other not always only beneficial aspects of personality increase[6].

At this point, everyone can probably admit that the positive aspects of power and increasing motivation are welcome. At the same time, with the increase in lust and mood, the negative aspects of power are gradually and barely perceptible. No one can keep away from it. Only with much reflection, much knowledge about the mechanisms of action of power and the acceptance of feedback from outside can the positive aspects of power continue to be used and the negative sides kept in check.

The negative effect of power

The dark side of the force gradually takes possession of the powerful. At some point, however, the change in behaviour associated with increasing power becomes clearer, as can be seen, for example, in arbitrariness, oppression, violence, humiliation. Numerous studies, including an experiment at Oxford University in 2012, have shown that this is the case: Riam Kanso from the Oxford Brain & Cognition Laboratory was able to show that [7]

Power undermines balanced cooperation with the subordinates.

Numerous cases of self-enrichment and corruption in politics, business and society also prove this. A previous study by psychologist Adam Galinsky came to the conclusion:[8]

Power reduces the ability for empathy, the ability to put oneself in the position of other people and their perspectives.

Apart from that, many powerful people are shockingly unaware of what their fellow men think of them. An increased position of power entices the powerful to take sides, of which there are also enough examples. But one cannot assume that the negative aspects can only be found in already striking or weak personalities. Unfortunately, studies, including Oxford 2012, show that even people with normal personality traits tend to change their behavior in a negative manner as their power competence increases. So it seems that an increase in power seems to upset the brain. A team led by Nathanael Fast of the University of Southern California has found:[9]

Powerful people who were very aware of their power and felt competent at the same time were remarkably prone to exaggerated, self-confident decisions - even if they were wrong and associated with financial losses.

With regard to power, Fast was able to uncover another crucial aspect, namely that status also plays a role in connection with the abuse of power. It turned out that those to whom power was given, without associating it with a high social status, were much more inclined to humiliate others than those in power who were allowed to enjoy a high status. But the most threatening aspect of power is aggression. Fast, together with Serena Chen from the University of California at Berkeley, has also dealt with this:[10]

The most aggressive are the incompetent powerful.

Bosses seem to become tyrants especially when they don't feel up to their position. They feel that they are under observation, and the resulting stress makes them use their power in a destructive way. There are countless tales of employees suffering under such overtaxed managers[11].

At this point I would like to take a very conscious brake to think and reflect.

I assume that the previous statements about power, and the mechanisms of action of power, have not passed you by without a trace. You may already know this very well. Now take a look at yourself as a leader.

• How do you currently see yourself as a manager and your associated opportunities for power?
• Are you really aware of what the force is capable of doing to you?
• What changes in your thoughts, feelings, goals and behavior have you already noticed yourself, or have they been reflected back to you?

When does power change behaviour in a negative way?

In connection with the modes of action of power, the question also arises as to how quickly the workings of the brain changes through power. Robertson found that even a small amount of power is enough to trigger a decline in empathy. Apart from this, the positive aspect of power, an increased release of dopamine and the associated increase in motivation, innovation and courage is not only positive, but can also cause addictive behavior[12].

The addictive quality of power and its distorting effects on the human mind have cost the lives of hundreds of millions of people in the history of mankind.

Effects of power on the subordinates

I assume that everyone who reads this article will see the negative side of power and the consequences. I would, however, like to express one specific thought. For example, if power, in a positive sense, makes the powerful wiser, more ambitious, more concentrated and more courageous, it means, conversely, that the subordinates act more stupid, lazier, less concentrated and more apathetic. A study by Maarten Boksem of Erasmus University Rotterdam proves:[13]

Experiencing one's own power and that of others directly influences the motivation system of the brain.

This means, for example, that the subordinates pay much greater attention to losses than the powerful. However, the subordinates are more sensitive to common goals, but are easily distracted by information and quickly lose sight of their goals.[14] With this knowledge, employees cannot really be reproached for poor performance at work.

résumé

In this article I have devoted myself to only a few aspects of power - those I think can make you think without immediately putting blame on the table. I do not want to condemn the abuse of power, nor am I entitled to do so, but I want to use power more attentively with the help of the conscious recognition of the patterns of seduction and better rein seduction. The main thesis in Dacher Kaltner's book "The paradox of power, how we gain or lose influence" sums it up clearly:[15]

The rulers would have to allow personality development. But many powerful people prefer to remain true to their principles, and few learn to use their power wisely.

It is exciting to observe, however, that digitization and new work with their working such as collaboration, positive error culture and sense economy are able to counteract the abuse of power. But if we really understand the mechanisms of power, then we should all be on our guard so that the new heroes of VUCA-World resist the temptations of the rise in power.

Sincerely, Günther Wagner

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Literature sources:

[1] https://www.psychologie-heute.de/archiv/detailansicht/news/die_schattenseiten_der_macht/. Am 2017-06-26 gelesen.

[2] https://www.psychologie-heute.de/archiv/detailansicht/news/die_schattenseiten_der_macht/. Am 2017-06-26 gelesen.

[3] Keltner, Dacher: Das Machtpardox. Wie wir Einfluss gewinnen – oder verlieren. Campus Verlag GmbH, Frankfurt am Main: 2016

[4] https://www.blog.michael-ehlers.de/business-club-talk-macht-und-machtmissbrauch-liegen-eng-beieinander/. Am 2017-06-27 gelesen.

[5] https://www.psychologie-heute.de/archiv/detailansicht/news/die_schattenseiten_der_macht/. Am 2017-06-26 gelesen.

[6] https://www.psychologie-heute.de/archiv/detailansicht/news/die_schattenseiten_der_macht/. Am 2017-06-26 gelesen.

[7] https://www.psychologie-heute.de/archiv/detailansicht/news/die_schattenseiten_der_macht/. Am 2017-06-26 gelesen.

[8] https://www.psychologie-heute.de/archiv/detailansicht/news/die_schattenseiten_der_macht/. Am 2017-06-26 gelesen.

[9] https://www.psychologie-heute.de/archiv/detailansicht/news/die_schattenseiten_der_macht/. Am 2017-06-26 gelesen.

[10] https://www.psychologie-heute.de/archiv/detailansicht/news/die_schattenseiten_der_macht/. Am 2017-06-26 gelesen.