Controlling others and controlling oneself: Social power and emotion suppression

Abstract

Power is associated with living in reward-rich environments and causes behavioural disinhibition (Keltner, Grumfeld & Anderson, 2003). Powerful people also have greater freedom of emotional expression (Hecht & La France, 1998). Two studies were conducted with the aim of: a) analyzing the effect of dispositional power on emotion suppression, and b) exploring the simple and interaction effects of dispositional and situational power on emotion suppression. In a first correlational study, the power of individuals was found to be negatively correlated with emotion suppression. In a second experimental study, participants were assigned to a powerful or powerless position and negative emotions were induced with pictures. Participants were asked to suppress their emotions during the presentation of the pictures. Participants' emotion suppression was measured using the suppression subscale of the Emotion Regulation Questionnaire (Gross & John, 2003). Results showed that dispositionally powerless participants suppressed their emotions more than dispositionally powerful participants only when they were assigned to a low power position. These results are discussed.     

Feelings of power lead people to take sides with other powerful parties

Abstract

It has often been noted that power has various self-reinforcing effects, in the sense that it leads people to support the interests of other powerful people and harm the interests of the powerless. In the current article we investigate this in a fundamental manner and show that the experience of power makes people more inclined to side with parties that are higher in the hierarchy and against parties that are lower in that hierarchy. Two studies demonstrate that people who experience elevated power side with parties higher in the hierarchy and against parties lower in the hierarchy. A third experiment identifies an important moderator: if people sense their power is unfair and illegitimate, this effect is blocked. These results extend our understanding of the effects of power on moral thinking to actual side taking with one party against another in an interpersonal, moral conflict.     

Metacognitive confidence: A neuroscience approach

Abstract

Power leads to action and facilitates goal pursuit. The present study examines the joint effects of power and action demands on the ability to maintain the pursuit of goals. It is proposed that the power advantage in goal pursuit is particularly pronounced when goal striving requires high level of activity. Participants were assigned to a powerful or a powerless role and pursued a goal either in a passive or in an active self-regulatory mode. Level of activity affected powerless but not powerful participants: powerless participants gave up goal pursuit earlier when the level of activity required to maintain the goal was high (i.e., showed the typical passive-option effect), whereas this was not the case for powerful participants. The implications of these findings are discussed.     

Dealing with powerlessness: The strategic use of ingroup stereotypes

Abstract

Several studies have shown the impact of legitimacy on dealing with group power disadvantage. In the present paper we focus on the impact of internal legitimacy (i.e., the ingroup's appraisal of the fairness of its own powerless position) on the ingroup stereotype as a way of contesting the power disadvantage. Results show that especially in the internal legitimate conditions (i.e., when the ingroup seems to accept the low status position), participants reacted by way of overemphasizing the positive stereotypic dimension (warmth, Study 1), or contradicting the negative ingroup stereotype (perceiving the ingroup as less incompetent, Study 1 and 2). The last strategy was used especially by those highly identified with the ingroup, and when the legitimate/illegitimate argument is supported by a small ingroup sample (i.e., low social constraint, Study 2). Such responses can be understood as a social creativity strategy to contest the ingroup's disadvantaged and powerless position.     

The effects of power on prosocial outcomes: A self-validation analysis

The present research distinguishes between primary (cognitive) and secondary (metacognitive) processes in the domain of power. Power is a central construct in economic decision making, influencing people’s thoughts and behavior in organizational, political, consumer, and interpersonal contexts. Whereas most research has discussed ways that power can influence primary cognition (e.g., increased self-focused thoughts, heuristic processing), we examine how power can influence secondary cognition (i.e., thinking about thinking). We argue that high (relative to low) power can increase reliance on one’s current thoughts, magnifying their influence on judgment. If thoughts are antisocial (prosocial), increased power will produce more antisocial (prosocial) judgments and behavior. We activated prosocial or antisocial concepts through priming before activating powerfulness or powerlessness. As predicted, primes impacted people’s self-perceptions of cooperation (Experiment 1) and the extent to which they were willing to help others (Experiment 2) when induced to feel powerful, but not when led to feel powerless.     

‘Weightless?’: disrupting relations of power in/through photographic imagery of persons with intellectual disabilities

Missing in discussions of visual representations of people with intellectual disabilities are their own perspectives. Rooted in Derrida’s concern with the ‘right of inspection’ over visual representations, participatory arts-informed methodologies were used in research with people with intellectual disabilities. They critiqued and then used Photoshop to transform public photographs of labeled people. Responding to visual constructions of labeled persons as ‘weightless’/powerless, they revealed personal experiences of being denied control over their lives and representations. Yet their critiques and transformations reveal possibilities for their re-conceptualization as powerful, subverting stereotypes of labeled people and disrupting relations of power in disability imagery.     

Explaining the Effects of Powerless Language Use on the Evaluative Listening Process: A Theory of Implicit Prototypes

This study examined the effects of forewarning and discounting messages on the evaluational consequences of powerless language use. The specific forewarning message contained information on types of powerless language (including hesitations) and their effects. The general forewarning message excluded mention of hesitations. The discounting message cautioned against making trait attributions based on powerless language behaviors. In Experiment #1, listeners exposed to the specific and general forewarning messages gave lower competence ratings to the lecturer and were less likely to recommend that he be hired as an instructor. The discounting message did not moderate negative evaluations of the lecturer. In Experiment #2, a one week delay was inserted between the forewarning and discounting messages and the oral presentation. No significant differences were found between the activation conditions and the control condition. The results of this study suggest that the theory of implicit prototypes may explain how the evaluative listening process forms impressions of powerless and powerful sources.     

A novel way of responding to dissonance evoked by belief disconfirmation: making the wrongdoing of an opponent salient

ABSTRACT

Based on dissonance theory, we predicted that individuals who supported a political figure (Donald Trump), were exposed to information about his wrongdoings, and believed the veracity of this information would be most likely to share social media that points to incidents in which opponents also engaged in wrongdoing. Participants (N = 409) varying in their support for Trump were exposed to information concerning his alleged wrongdoings (or a neutral article). They viewed a meme of a political rival (Hilary Clinton) that alluded to her alleged wrongdoings, and reported how likely they would be to share the meme (and indicated how accurate they believed the Trump article was). Results supported the prediction, suggesting that dissonance may cause individuals to emphasize the wrongdoings of opponents.     

Promoting social equality values to improve judgement of a woman reporting sexism / El fomento de valores relacionados con la igualdad social para mejorar la opinión sobre las mujeres que denuncian discriminación por sexismo

Previous research has shown that discriminated women blame themselves more than they blame discrimination when meritocracy values are salient. In two studies, we examined whether meritocracy values also influence female observers when they judge a female victim of sexism. Such values were expected to lead them to judge more positively a victim incriminating herself than a victim claiming discrimination. Conversely, social equality values should lead them to judge more positively a victim claiming discrimination. Women who were either feminists or non-feminists (Study 1) or who were exposed to either social equality values or personal merit values (Study 2) had to judge a female victim of sexism who ascribed what happened to discrimination or to her ability. Feminist women and women exposed to social equality judged the female victim more positively when she reported discrimination than when she incriminated herself. The reverse pattern of judgement was observed for non-feminist women and women exposed to meritocracy values. The importance of values is discussed to improve the image of women claiming sexism.     

Perceptions of Crime in Capitalist America: The Question of Consciousness Manipulation

Abstract

This paper reports research designed to assess a conflict interpretation of public consensus on the seriousness of different types of crimes. Earlier studies report that the degree of such agreement is extensive. It is suggested that, while this supports a consensus model of criminal law, it challenges the conflict model. However, that proponents of the latter suggest this consensus in a capitalist society is not surprising. It exists because the powerful, by dominating criminal justice, are able to manipulate the powerless to believe definitions of crime which support the interests of the powerful. This consciousness manipulation hypothesis is examined in a class-stratified sample which was asked to rate the seriousness of and suggest appropriate penalties for a number of person, property, political, white collar, victimless, and public order offenses. Little evidence of manipulation is found. The implications of these findings for false consciousness and public policy issues are discussed.     

Prosocial behaviour,inclusion and exclusion: why and when do we behave prosocially? / Comportamiento prosocial,inclusión y exclusión: ¿cuándo y por qué adoptamos comportamientos prosociales?

Two experiments analysed the influence of inclusion versus exclusion on prosocial behaviour. In Study 1, evidence for the social reconnection hypothesis was found. In Study 2, a cross-over interactive effect is demonstrated: excluded individuals tended to be more prosocial when their competence was affected than when their popularity was affected. However, included people were more prosocial than excluded people when their popularity was affected, but they were less prosocial when their competence was highlighted. Besides, Study 2 has shown that affiliation motivation mediates the effect of exclusion on prosocial behaviour, and thus: (1) excluded individuals endorse lower levels of affiliation motivation with their rejecters than included individuals do with individuals who have included them; and (2) individuals with higher levels of affiliation motivation engage in higher prosocial behaviour levels when the behaviour is oriented to people with whom the chance to reconnect exists, but not when it is oriented to people with whom there is no possibility for future affiliation.     

Power and Role-Taking

Abstract

Power and role-taking theory argues that social structural arrangements influence face-to-face communication processes. Specifically, powerful and powerless interactants tend to differ in their motivation to take the other's role and in the accuracy of their interpersonal understandings. Basic concepts of the theory and its interrelated propositions are identified. A comprehensive literature review gauged its empirical support. With some qualifications, a set of 26 quantitative studies supported propositions regarding the relationship of unequal power to role-taking propensity, accuracy, and empathy. Examination of 8 qualitative studies offered fruitful directions for theoretical refinements. A set of 15 practice effectiveness studies suggest that role-taking processes in asymmetrical relationships can be changed. Practice implications for social workers committed to challenging the power imbalances typical to crossgender, interracial, interclass, and crossposition relationships are suggested.     

Adolescent’s Perceptions of Sexual Relationships Between Students and Teachers

ABSTRACT

Very little is known about how people perceive and respond to sexual relationships between students and teachers, and even less is known about how adolescents view these relationships. In this study, a large sample of high school students (N = 1203; Mean age: 16.83) responded to four scenarios describing a sexual relationship between a student and teacher. We manipulated student and teacher age, and the power differential between the student and teacher and we measured perceptions of wrongness and likelihood of reporting the situation. The data indicated that in situations of older students (18 vs. 14 or 16) and younger teachers (21 vs 30 or 40), they are less likely to be perceived as wrong and less likely to be reported. Likewise, situations were judged as more wrong when the power differential between students and teachers was greater. Further, there were strong gender differences, such that females (vs. males) consistently viewed the situations as more wrong and were more likely to report. Implications for future research and policy are discussed.     

The algorithmic imaginary: exploring the ordinary affects of Facebook algorithms

ABSTRACT

This article reflects the kinds of situations and spaces where people and algorithms meet. In what situations do people become aware of algorithms? How do they experience and make sense of these algorithms, given their often hidden and invisible nature? To what extent does an awareness of algorithms affect people's use of these platforms, if at all? To help answer these questions, this article examines people's personal stories about the Facebook algorithm through tweets and interviews with 25 ordinary users. To understand the spaces where people and algorithms meet, this article develops the notion of the algorithmic imaginary. It is argued that the algorithmic imaginary – ways of thinking about what algorithms are, what they should be and how they function – is not just productive of different moods and sensations but plays a generative role in moulding the Facebook algorithm itself. Examining how algorithms make people feel, then, seems crucial if we want to understand their social power.     

What makes a big demonstration? Exploring the impact of mobilization strategies on the size of demonstrations

ABSTRACT

Massive demonstrations are the staple of powerful social movements, but research on the factors affecting the size of demonstrations (in terms of number of attendants) is almost nonexistent. Why do some demonstrations pack long avenues with masses of people while other ones barely fill a street corner? Combining resource mobilization, political opportunity, and framing theories, we argue that mobilization strategies – the sequence of decisions and actions taken by protest organizers before staging a protest – shape demonstration size. Multivariate models with 937 Chilean demonstrations between 2000 and 2012 show that demonstrations are larger when they display more demands (especially universalistic demands), target the national government, attract more organizations (especially umbrella organizations), and mobilize cohesive groups with broad public support. We reinforce the internal validity of our argument using interviews with movement leaders and secondary research on Chilean society.     

Subtle priming of subtraction versus addition: a spill-over effect of math / La inducción sutil de sumar vs. restar: un efecto indirecto de las matemáticas

Abstract

Studies on bias correction have often used blatant inductions to motivate people to reduce the mental impact of perceived biases. In the current research, we test a relatively unexplored, subtle way of inducing bias correction based on the activation of different calculative mindsets. Across two studies, participants were exposed to an advertisement introducing a new consumer product delivered by a credible or non-credible source. Then, as part of an ostensibly unrelated study, participants completed mathematical operations that involved subtracting or adding. Study 1 revealed that when participants were primed with an addition calculative mindset, an expert source elicited more favourable attitudes towards the product than a non-expert source. This pattern illustrates the traditional effect of source credibility on persuasion. In contrast, within the subtraction calculative mindset condition, persuasion was no different between an expert and a non-expert source. These results were obtained exclusively under high thinking conditions (e.g., for participants high in Need for Cognition). This finding can be interpreted as if the effect of source credibility was subtracted from the evaluative judgement. Study 2 replicated this two-way interaction using different materials and inductions. The present research has implications for bias correction, procedural priming, persuasion and beyond.     

Are the Negative Effects of Divorce on Well‐Being Dependent on Marital Quality?

We test the so‐called escape hypothesis, which argues that for people from a poor marriage, a divorce has a less negative or even a positive effect on well‐being. In an analysis of two waves of the National Survey of Families and Households (N =4,526), we find only limited evidence. When people divorce from a dissatisfactory or unfair marriage, they experience smaller increases in depression than when they divorce from a less dissatisfactory and less unfair marriage. For marital conflict, we find no interaction. Marital aggression seems to increase the negative effect of divorce, especially among women, suggesting that notions about the accumulation of problems after divorce need to be considered in combination with notions of escape.     

Relationship Status and Activated Kin Support: The Role of Need and Norms

Using data from the Fragile Families and Child Wellbeing Study, we examined whether mothers' (N = 4,127) and fathers' (N = 3,405) relationship status influenced their activation of financial support from relatives over time. We found that relationship status influenced the activation of financial support from relatives but that the effects differed somewhat by gender. Mothers were significantly more likely to activate financial assistance if they did not reside with the focal father, whereas fathers had lower odds of activating support if they were no longer in a relationship with the mother. Thus, the need for assistance may encourage mothers to access support; fathers may be less likely to access support when they deviate from social norms.     

Taking Older People's Rights Seriously: The Role of International Law

ABSTRACT

Older people face many difficult challenges that amount to a deplorable violation of their basic human rights (poverty, discrimination, denial of social services, etc.). However, the world has been slow to react. Factors that limit global responses to the challenges of aging include: limited political will, the prevalence of neo-liberalism, and NGOs' longstanding advocacy for other seemingly “more” disadvantaged groups. Such oppression of and discrimination against older people require a concerted world-wide response. We contend that the introduction of an international convention on the human rights of older people is most relevant. Reinforced by a potent international monitoring system, the convention should contain comprehensive and legally binding provisions that require participating states to promote older people's rights. It is argued that international law would be a powerful force in defending and protecting older persons, operating as a baseline for establishing underlying values for national aging policies and linking older persons' concerns with other segments of society.     

Humor and satire in politics: Introducing cultural sociology to the field

The landscape of political humor and satire is changing rapidly, and it is becoming an increasingly relevant aspect of our culture. Although scholars have been actively trying to capture this change, majority of the existing frameworks for understanding humor and satire in politics still reduce these phenomena to mere genres or rhetoric tools. In addition, they provide insufficient accounts concerning the reception of humor and satire, and neglect to interpret and explain what they communicate. In the article, a general understanding of humor and satire outside of a political context, followed by an overview of studies discussing humor and satire in politics through their applications in social movements, as leadership tools, and through their manifestations in mass media has been presented. Lastly, a cultural sociological perspective to the field has been introduced. It has been argued that approaching humor and satire in politics through a structural hermeneutic method of the Strong Program will enable us to recognize and treat political humor and satire as autonomous and complex cultural systems which carry an internal power to move people.