Power and perspectives not taken.
Four experiments and a correlational study explored the relationship between power and perspective taking. In Experiment 1, participants primed with high power were more likely than those primed with low power to draw an E on their forehead in a self-oriented direction, demonstrating less of an inclination to spontaneously adopt another person's visual perspective. In Experiments 2a and 2b, high-power participants were less likely than low-power participants to take into account that other people did not possess their privileged knowledge, a result suggesting that power leads individuals to anchor too heavily on their own vantage point, insufficiently adjusting to others' perspectives. In Experiment 3, high-power participants were less accurate than control participants in determining other people's emotion expressions; these results suggest a power-induced impediment to experiencing empathy. An additional study found a negative relationship between individual difference measures of power and perspective taking. Across these studies, power was associated with a reduced tendency to comprehend how other people see, think, and feel.
Galinsky
Adam D
AD
Department of Management and Organizations, Kellogg School of Management, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL, USA. agalinsky@northwestern.edu
Magee
Joe C
JC
Inesi
M Ena
ME
Gruenfeld
Deborah H
DH
D000328:Adult; D003142:Communication; D004532:Ego; D004644:Emotions / Q000502:physiology; D004645:Empathy; D005149:Facial Expression; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D033182:Intention; D008297:Male; D009949:Orientation / Q000502:physiology; D011209:Power, Psychological; D013334:Students / Q000523:psychology; D014796:Visual Perception / Q000502:physiology*