The Personal Sense of Power
2011/03/29 by Cameron Anderson, Oliver P. John, Dacher Keltner · 770 citations
Psychology · Social Sciences · #Communication in Education and Healthcare #Cultural Differences and Values #Developmental psychology #Dominance (genetics) #Personality #Power (physics) #Psychology #Sense (electronics) #Sense of agency #Sense of community #Social and Intergroup Psychology #Social power #Social psychology
paper · doi:10.1111/j.1467-6494.2011.00734.x
published in Journal of Personality 80(2), 313-344 (Wiley)
openalex publication_date 2011/03/29 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/08/05
Abstract
Scholars who examine the psychological effects of power have often argued that possessing power shapes individual behavior because it instills an elevated sense of power. However, little is known about the personal sense of power because very few studies have examined it empirically. In studies involving a total of 1,141 participants and nine different samples, we found that the personal sense of power was coherent within social contexts; for example, individuals who believed that they can get their way in a group also believed that they can influence fellow group members' attitudes and opinions. The personal sense of power was also moderately consistent across relationships but showed considerable relationship specificity; for example, individuals' personal sense of power vis-à-vis their friend tended to be distinct but moderately related to their personal sense of power vis-à-vis their parent. And the personal sense of power was affected not only by sociostructural factors (e.g., social position, status) but also by personality variables such as dominance.
Citations
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