Power Heightens Sensitivity to Unfairness Against the Self

Area of Science:

• Social Psychology
• Organizational Behavior
• Justice Studies

Background:

• Power is often associated with a sense of entitlement.
• This entitlement influences how individuals perceive and react to unfairness, particularly when it affects them directly.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the relationship between power and the perception of self-relevant injustices.
• To examine how power affects individuals' expectations of fair treatment and their responses to violations of justice.

Main Methods:

• Four experiments were conducted involving participants primed with high or low power.
• Participants' speed in identifying distributive and interpersonal justice violations was measured.
• Reactions to unfair treatment and likelihood of taking action were assessed.

Main Results:

• High power was associated with faster identification of distributive justice violations where participants were victims.
• The effect of power on justice perception was specific to self-relevant injustices.
• Power also influenced the perception of interpersonal justice violations and increased the likelihood of taking action against unfair treatment.

Conclusions:

• Powerful individuals possess a heightened sensitivity to self-relevant injustices due to stronger expectations of fair treatment.
• This rapid perception and response to unfairness may serve to maintain social hierarchies.
• The powerless, being less sensitive to injustice, may be less likely to challenge existing power structures.