Give a person power and he or she will show interpersonal sensitivity: The phenomenon and its why and when.

Abstract

The goal of the present research was to investigate whether high or low power leads to more interpersonal sensitivity and what potentially mediates and moderates this effect. In Study 1, 76 participants in either a high- or low-power position interacted; in Study 2, 134 participants were implicitly primed with either high- or low-power or neutral words; and in Study 3, 96 participants were asked to remember a situation in which they felt high or low power (plus a control condition). In Study 4, 157 participants were told to identify with either an egoistic, empathic, or neutral leadership style. In all studies, interpersonal sensitivity, defined as correctly assessing other people, was then measured using different instruments in each study. Consistently, high power resulted in more interpersonal sensitivity than low power. Feeling respected and proud was partially responsible for this effect. Empathic power as a personality trait was related to more interpersonal sensitivity, and high-power individuals who adopted an empathic instead of an egoistic leadership style were more interpersonally sensitive.

Social goals of Filipino adolescents: Do they contribute to student life satisfaction?

“…Students who hold this goal may feel a greater power to do something for others, and their actions toward others are usually aligned with what others also need, thus making their actions more socially relevant. This is consistent with the findings of Mast, Jonas, and Hall (2009) that power is associated with interpersonal sensitivity where persons with high sense of power do infer the thoughts and feelings of others than those with low power. This subjective feeling of power can also be functionally related to life satisfaction because it makes the person wade through dilemmas more consciously (Lammers & Stapel, 2009), thereby increasing life's quality.…”

Witnessing wrongdoing: The effects of observer power on incivility intervention in the workplace

“…Moreover, when power is construed in terms of responsibility, it can enhance concern for others (Sassenberg, Ellemers, & Scheepers, 2012;Scholl, Ellemers, Sassenberg, & Scheepers, 2015). For example, power among those with an other-oriented leadership style can enhance interpersonal sensitivity (Schmid Mast, Jonas, & Hall, 2009). Further, when the powerful are made to feel accountable, they treat power like a responsibility, behaving in less self-serving ways (Pitesa & Thau, 2013).…”

Magnitude estimation is influenced by social power

“…Indeed, prior studies have indicated that, relative to a neutral baseline group, low power can decrease (e.g., Scholl & Sassenberg, 2014;Smith & Trope, 2006;Willis, Guinote, & Rodríguez-Bailón, 2010) and high power can increase subsequent responses (DeWall, Baumeister, Mead, & Vohs, 2011;Fast et al, 2009;Schmid Mast, Jonas, & Hall, 2009;Smith & Trope, 2006). Similarly, results by Lee and Schnall (2014) suggest that weight estimation effects may be driven by high power (see Study 2) and/or low power (Study 3).…”