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Related Experiment Videos

Power, approach, and inhibition.

Dacher Keltner1, Deborah H Gruenfeld, Cameron Anderson

  • 1Department of Psychology, University of California, Berkeley 94720-1650, USA. keltner@socrates.berkeley.edu

Psychological Review
|May 16, 2003
PubMed
Summary

High power increases approach behaviors like positive affect and reward focus. Low power leads to inhibition, negative affect, and attention to threats and social constraints.

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Area of Science:

  • Social Psychology
  • Behavioral Science

Background:

  • Power dynamics significantly shape individual and group behavior.
  • Understanding the psychological underpinnings of power is crucial for various social contexts.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To examine the influence of elevated and reduced power on behavioral tendencies.
  • To synthesize theoretical predictions regarding approach and inhibition systems in relation to power.

Main Methods:

  • Review of existing literature and theoretical frameworks on power and behavior.
  • Analysis of behavioral patterns associated with different power levels.

Main Results:

  • Elevated power correlates with approach tendencies: positive affect, reward focus, automatic processing, and disinhibition.
  • Reduced power correlates with inhibition tendencies: negative affect, threat/social focus, controlled processing, and inhibited social behavior.

Conclusions:

  • Power significantly modulates affect, attention, information processing, and social behavior.
  • These power-related behavioral patterns have implications for social interactions and organizational dynamics.

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