Power Motives

Power

may be defined as the ability to produce intended effects.

  Power

is the ability to satisfy one's wants through the control of preferences and/or opportunities.

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Power is "the processual relation between two parties modally characterized by (1) asymmetric influence, in which a perceptible probability of decision rests in one of the two parties, even over the resistance of the other party; and (2) the predominance of negative sanctions (threatened or actual) as a feature of behavior in the dominant party"

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Power "is the process of affecting policies of others with the help of (actual or threatened) severe deprivations for nonconformity with the policies intended"   Power: "its inner reality, the thing without which it cannot be: that essence is command"   "Power is the ability to cause or prevent change"   So many diverse views of power suggest something pervasive, which like the fabled elephant and the blind men feeling different parts, manifests itself in many different forms. Which form is apprehended clearly depends on the approach and purpose of a study.

Power motive involves the need to be in control, to have prestige and status and to get others to conform to our wishes. It is a learned motive unique to human species It exerts its effect on behavior in many different contexts

Activation- it is the initiation of behavior stimulated by the intense desire to gain power E.g. the quest for independence was activated by ex-service men who had witnessed the 2nd world war and India’s struggle for their independence.

Persistence- it is the continuous effort to achieve a goal (power) often in the face of obstacle. E.g. Ghana’s struggle for independence was engaged by individuals who were persistent in the face of colonial opposition. Intensity- refers to the degree of response

Adler (1908) proposed a drive, ”masculine protest” , a drive to compensate for inferiority by striving to achieve power. E.g. Adolf Hitler, rose to power in Germany during the 1920s and early 1930s at a time of social, political, and economic upheaval. Once in power, he eliminated all opposition and launched an ambitious program of world domination and elimination of the Jews, he died a broken and defeated man 12years later. It is a known fact that Hitler was abused by his father as a child

His childhood experiences.

What were his motives?

Power

motives do not derive directly from basic biological factors as do hunger, thirst and to some extent sexuality

Hypothalamus

mediates motivation and emotion and the limbic system coordinates behavior to satisfy these urges. We arrived at the conclusion that any dysfunction in these two structures will have influence on a person’s motivation and thus his power motivation.

Women were less desirous of power as compared to men two decades ago thus men were more likely to occupy power positions but that has changed a lot since the famous Beijing conference.

The economic status of an individual can be an important determinant. People with high financial status tend to wield more power than those of lower financial status. Maslow’s theory of needs??

Social learning Leon Festinger (1954). Interaction with people In influential positions can determine level of motivation to acquire power.  

Cultural In England being a member of the royal family lands you in a powerful position, as against being born into an ordinary family. Also the chieftancy system in our local culture selects chief from particular families only.

One’s environment, opportunities in life often determines the kind of experiences one will gain and this has a bearing on ones level of power motivation.

Do individual differences in power motives really matter? In other words do persons high and low in power motives have contrasting life experiences?

As you might expect , individuals high in this motivation tend to earn more rapid promotions, get higher grades in school and attain greater success in running their own businesses than persons low in such motivation(Andrews,1967;Raynor 1970)

Thematic

Apperception Test or TAT is a projective psychological tests that taps a subject's unconscious to reveal repressed aspects of personality, motives and needs for achievement, power and intimacy, and problemsolving abilities.

 GENDER  Men

are known to express power by dominating women, drinking heavily, sexually exploitative manners and competition in sports  Women express it through restrained manners. Women in a high need for power are more apt to than men to channel their power needs in a socially responsible manner. (Winter 1988)      Socio-economic status??

Power motives leads to the display of aggression. Block of power expression may result in aggression.