Greater Good: Essays on the Psychology of Power

I just got my copy of the latest issue of Greater Good in the mail.  I frankly had not even heard of this magazine (published out of UC Berkeley) until I was invited to contribute an article on how power can turn people in workplace jerks. But now that I've started following the magazine, I am most impressed, as they do wonderful job striking a balance between taking an evidence-based approach and publishing articles that everyone can enjoy and use.   They get all kinds of great people to write articles, like Philip Zimbardo and Daniel Goleman. The topics include things like forgiveness, why we ignore people who need help, compassion, and family.   You can read also the whole magazine online and download PDFs. Look around the current issues and past issues to find what strikes your fancy.

I was especially taken with Dacher Keltner's article in current issue on The Power Paradox.  He argues that -- contrary to the claims of many experts, going back to Machiavelli -- that people who are selected for powerful positions and are able to hold them are characterized by modesty and empathy.  BUT he shows that being put in a position of power turns people into them into worse decision-makers, makes them ore likely to act on their whims and desires, and makes them more likely to interrupt others, to to speak out of turn, to fail to look at others when they are speaking, and to tease others in hostile ways.  I've written before (drawing on research by Keltner and others) that power can turn people into assholes; but his research and review suggests that it is even worse that: Power can turn people into stupid assholes!

Consider this gem from Keltner: My own research has found that people with power tend to behave like patients who have damaged their brain's orbitofrontal lobes (the region of the frontal lobes right behind the eye sockets), a condition that seems to cause overly impulsive and insensitive behavior. Thus the experience of power might be thought of as having someone open up your skull and take out that part of your brain so critical to empathy and socially-appropriate behavior."

I think they did a great job with issue on power, and I will be following the Greater Good closely.   

Comments

[Michael Lee Stallard]

Montesquieu advocated a separation of powers for this reason. Power isolates leaders from knowledge if they become insensitive to the feelings of others. Who wants to help an asshole? Here's an article on the isolation of leaders entitled "Leading through the Power of Community"
http://www.epluribuspartners.com/pages/articles.php

[Michael Lee Stallard]

Power makes people insensitive to the feelings of others and has the result of isolating them from the flow of knowledge. Who want to help out a asshole? That's one reason Montesquieu wrote The Spirit of the Laws and advocated a separation of powers that requires collaboration and cooperation in order to get things done. It was a brilliant structural solution. Here's a link to a few articles including one on this topic that is entitled "Leading with the Power of Community."
http://www.epluribuspartners.com/pages/articles.php

[Michael Lee Stallard]

Power makes people insensitive to the feelings of others and has the result of isolating them from the flow of knowledge. Who want to help out a asshole? That's one reason Montesquieu wrote The Spirit of the Laws and advocated a separation of powers that requires collaboration and cooperation in order to get things done. It was a brilliant structural solution. Here's a link to a few articles including one on this topic that is entitled "Leading with the Power of Community."
http://www.epluribuspartners.com/pages/articles.php

[Michael Sporer]

Bob;
We've heard it said, "Absolute Power Corrupts Absolutely". Sadly, that is so true in this "What's in it for Me Society". To me, power attained should be the catalyst for humility! Power needs to be used for the greater good, not individual ego. The corrupting nature of power isn't human nature, it's human reaction. Human reaction can be controlled. Imagine a world in which people in power kept ego in check! Less assholes, for sure....

Mike S

[Lilly Evans]

Reading this and then the actual article, I am strongly reminded of the last week's Davos gathering. All those powerful people, so no wonder that in the article today in Financial Times their journalist Gideon Rachmann, who attended the meeting, concludes:

"The theme of this year’s World Economic Forum was meant to be “collaborative innovation”. It is difficult to think of anything less collaborative or innovative than a new era of resource wars."
http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/d3cde844-cdb7-11dc-9e4e-000077b07658.html

[Karl Edwards]

Power without accountability to those with less power in the organization is a recipe for disaster. Thanks for the helpful link. I'm not familiar with Greater Good. I look forward to checking it out.