A634.3.4.RB_SchreterPaul

    Many generous, talented, and good natured people manage to make it to the top of the power chain and yet when they get there, become corrupt with the greed and enter a free fall. An article by Kramer mentions that many “corner-office titans graced the covers of business magazines, and the public seemed fascinated with their willingness to flaunt the rules and break from the corporate herd with incredible daring and flair. But like Icarus, they flew too high. Scandal set in, and these once feted and envied leaders found themselves falling hard and fast” (Kramer, 2003). So what is it that causes people with power to corrupt so absolutely?

    It’s said 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” (DeCelles, DeRue, Margolis, & Ceranic, 2012). Moral identity is the “degree to which being a moral person is important to a person’s identity” (Sam A. Hardy, 2011). So if being a moral person is important for the individual, they are less likely to only be motived by a self-interest. This then makes it a responsibility of the community to try and shape its members to not only fit a moral standard but to want to fit that standard. But moral identity isn’t the only determining factor that may make a powerful individual corrupt

    It’s shown that those in power also tend to be cautious about subordinate’s favors. Psychological evidence shows that those in power are more likely attribute “cynical attributions for favors received” (M. Ena Inesia, 2012). It’s said that “power leads to more instrumental attributions for a seemingly generous act and demonstrates that these power-induced instrumental attributions diminish the desire to reciprocate and the tendency to trust the favor-giver” (M. Ena Inesia, 2012). In other words, those in a powerful position tend to not reciprocate as they are more likely to believe they are being manipulated in some way because of their power, regardless of the actual intent of the favor-giver. This is more likely to destroy relationships as most people follow a general rule of thumb that we should all “do unto others as others do unto us.”

    Discussed were two possible ways that power could corrupt an individual who makes it to the top. Not only has it been shown that corruption is most likely to happen to those with a weak moral identity, but to also affect everyone in the sense that they may feel like they’re being manipulated because of their power. As a result communities and education systems need to be sure to bring awareness to these issues so that leaders are more likely to exhibit behaviors that fall more in line for the benefit of everyone’s interest, not just their own.

References

DeCelles, K. A., DeRue, D. S., Margolis, J. D., & Ceranic, T. L. (2012). Does power corrupt or enable? When and why power facilitates self-interested behavior. The Journal of applied psychology.

Kramer, R. (2003). The Harder They Fall. Harvard Business Review, 58.

M. Ena Inesia, D. H. (2012). How power corrupts relationships: Cynical attributions for others' generous acts . Journal of Experimental Social Psychology, 795–803.

Sam A. Hardy, G. C. (2011). Moral Identity: What Is It, How Does It Develop, and Is It Linked to Moral Action? Child Development Perspectives, 212.