CAREER: How Power Corrupts: Power Offers Immunity to the Emotional, Cognitive, and Physiological Stress of Corrupt Behavior

权力与腐败相联系的例子并不缺乏，但权力是如何腐败的呢？具有讽刺意味的是，现有的研究已经证明了权力的许多好处：权力增强了认知功能，促进了适应性方法的动机，以及强大的抗病能力。那么，权力是如何导致腐败和如此令人难以置信的适应性结果的？ 这个职业研究项目通过系统地测试权力对压力源提供生理免疫力的程度来研究权力与腐败之间的联系。根据这一观点，人类的基本生理结构实际上促进了腐败，除非个人意识到并有动机规避它。目前的提案概述了神经科学中权力如何腐败的研究计划。拟议的研究集中在“权力免疫”理论上，该理论解释了权力如何通过压力缓冲机制降低各种压力的情绪，认知和生理成本，无论是好的还是坏的。 该理论通过描述权力塑造情感、认知和行为的基本机制，转变和扩展了当前关于权力的理论。这12项实验将有助于科学界进一步了解权力对压力的基本影响，以及压力缓冲机制何时导致腐败，以及权力压力缓冲效应背后的确切机制。研究人员将与哈斯商学院的领导力和伦理中心合作，开发新的伦理课程，立即纳入MBA核心课程。其目的是为本科生和研究生水平的商业学生开发一个完整的道德模块，使用交互式，基于角色扮演的商业案例，这将广泛提供给任何有兴趣加强道德培训的学校的任何人。该项目还包括对本科生和研究生的严格培训，他们将获得社会神经科学方法的专业知识。 最终，这项专注于权力对腐败的影响的工作将为未来的商业领袖提供实用的见解和培训。

There is no shortage of examples of the link between power and corruption, but how does power corrupt? Ironically, existing research has demonstrated many of the benefits of power: power enhances cognitive function, facilitates an adaptive approach motivation, and the powerful enjoy disease resistance. How then can power lead to corruption and such incredibly adaptive outcomes? This CAREER research project examines the link between power and corruption by systematically testing the extent to which power provides a physiological immunity to stressors. According to this perspective, the basic physiological architecture of human beings actually facilitates corruption unless individuals are aware and motivated to circumvent it. The current proposal outlines a research program in the neuroscience of how power corrupts. The proposed research focuses on the "power-as-immunity" theory which explains how power -through a stress buffering mechanism- lowers the emotional, cognitive, and physiological costs of all kinds of stressful things, good and corrupt. The theory transforms and extends current theories about power by describing the basic mechanisms through which power shapes emotion, cognition, and behavior. The 12 proposed experiments will help science to further understand the basic effect of power on stress as well as when the stress-buffering mechanism leads to corruption and the exact mechanisms which underlie the stress-buffering effect of power.The researcher will partner with a leadership and ethics center at HAAS Business School to develop new ethics curricula to be immediately integrated into the core MBA curriculum. The aim is to develop an entire ethics module for undergraduate and graduate level business students using interactive, role-play based business cases which will be widely available to anyone at any school interested in enhancing ethics training. The project also involves rigorous training of undergraduate and graduate students who will gain expertise in social neuroscience methods. Ultimately, this work which is focused on power's effect on corruption will offer practical insight and training for tomorrow's business leaders.