Differentiating social and personal power:opposite effects on stereotyping, but parallel effects on behavioral approach tendencies

How does power affect behavior? We posit that this depends on the type of power. We distinguish between social power (power over other people) and personal power (freedom from other people) and argue that these two types of power have opposite associations with independence and interdependence. We propose that when the distinction between independence and interdependence is relevant, social power and personal power will have opposite effects; however, they will have parallel effects when the distinction is irrelevant. In two studies (an experimental study and a large field study), we demonstrate this by showing that social power and personal power have opposite effects on stereotyping, but parallel effects on behavioral approach.How does power affect behavior? We posit that this depends on the type of power. We distinguish between social power (power over other people) and personal power (freedom from other people) and argue that these two types of power have opposite associations with independence and interdependence. We propose that when the distinction between independence and interdependence is relevant, social power and personal power will have opposite effects; however, they will have parallel effects when the distinction is irrelevant. In two studies (an experimental study and a large field study), we demonstrate this by showing that social power and personal power have opposite effects on stereotyping, but parallel effects on behavioral approach. How does power affect behavior? This is an important question in psychology, given that we live in a world with extremely salient power differentials. Presidents can decide on the economic fate of millions, CEOs can hire or fire thousands of employees, and generals can make decisions that determine whether thousands of soldiers live or die. If people's behavior is affected by their power, then it is crucial to know how and why. In the current research, we argue that to answer how power affects behavior, it is necessary to take a closer look at the concept of power itself. We propose that power can refer to different things, which in turn have different effects. In the relevant literature, however, power is traditionally treated as a single construct, and the difference between various aspects of power is ignored. The multitude of competing and diverging definitions of power already indicates that a monolithic power concept is too restrictive (Fiske & Berdahl, 2007). A close look at these many definitions of power suggests that there are two main types