One psychological concept that writers would benefit from understanding is how power can change the psychological functioning of a leader. Writers can benefit in that such an understanding will help them to explain how and why their character has changed since acquiring power.

The fact that power can change the psychological functioning of a leader is a well-known fact. Abraham Lincoln summed up the impact of power perfectly when he said, “nearly all men can stand adversity, but if you want to test a man’s character, give him power.” Magee, Keltner, and Galinsky (2005) found that people with power tend to believe that taking action is more vital than the consequences that come from taking action. This shows that leaders who gain power prioritize action over consequences, which is one way that power can change the psychological functioning of a leader. Additionally, Magee, Keltner, and Galinsky (2005) also found that power could cause a release of inhibitions and influence a leader’s ability to self-regulate. This shows that power can change the psychological functioning of a leader in how it can affect a person’s inhibitions and ability to regulate his or her own actions. That is not to say that every leader or person with power will experience the same change in their psychological functioning, but rather that some change with the acquisition of power is likely.

When a person becomes a leader and gains power, he or she whether consciously or not chooses the base of power that they will utilize in their leadership style. According to Raven (2012), there are six main types of power bases: coercive power, reward power, legitimate power, expert power, referent power, and information power. The type of power a leader utilizes could also influence their psychological functioning in that their behavior could affect their thought processes. Leaders that seek to cause a change through the threat of punishment use coercive power (Raven, 2012). This use of power might lead a leader to function in a somewhat negative manner if not paired with reward power, which utilizes the offering of a reward to cause change. Leaders that attempt to stimulate change from a position of recognized authority utilize legitimate power, which can be particularly effective when paired with expert power that occurs when follower compliance comes from recognition of the leader’s experience, skill, or knowledge (Raven, 2012). Leaders that seek to cause change by sharing information and offering explanations to their followers in order to encourage cognitive change and acceptance, make use of information power (Raven, 2012). The type of power (s) a leader uses and the manner in which he or she uses them can influence their psychological functioning as a leader.

References

Magee, J. C., Keltner, D. J., & Galinsky, A. D. (2005). Leadership and the psychology of power. In D. Messick & R. Kramer (Eds.), The psychology of leadership (pp. 275–293). New York, NY: Routledge.

Raven, B. H. (2012, January 20). Power, six bases of. Encyclopedia of Leadership. Retrieved from http://www.sagepub.com/northouse6e/stud/materials/reference/reference1.4.pdf