The self-regulatory and interpersonal consequences of the construal of power

许多社会关系都以社会权力为特征：有些人对资源拥有不对称的控制权（例如，金钱，信息），这适用于社会，学术界，公共机构和其他组织。一个强大的地位如何改变社会行为？媒体和公众讨论经常将社会权力显示为一种腐败力量：掌权者似乎经常滥用他们的权力来达到自己的目的（例如，为了个人利益而忽视对他人的责任。权力研究的大量证据支持这一观点：通过提供相对的自由和机会，权力似乎诱使个人采取自私的行动。然而，也有许多例子表明，掌权者似乎对他人高度敏感，对待下属也很苛刻。事实上，初步证据表明，有时可以负责任地行使权力，从而促进与下属的有效合作。这突出表明，必须负责任地使用权力，以确保组织业绩和社会关系的运作。然而，到今天为止，还缺乏一种理论和实证方法来解释权力拥有者何时以及如何对他人变得敏感。目前的研究建议解决了这一差距。社会权力（即，对其他结果的不对称控制）为权力持有者提供了机会（例如，以确保个人利益）和责任（例如，照顾好自己和他人）。掌权者可能或多或少地意识到权力的这两个方面。换句话说，高功率可以被解释为（即，不同的是：作为一个机会或作为一种责任。反过来，如何解释权力应该有意义地影响对他人的关注和行为的敏感性：权力被解释为机会，意味着自由的体验和追求当前目标的可能性。因此，将权力作为一种机会的掌权者应该特别关注并采取行动实现手头的目标（例如，一个当前的任务），同时忽略其他人的情况。与此相反，被解释为责任的权力意味着一种内在义务的体验，例如，根据相关标准（例如，以合乎道德的方式行事）。因此，被理解为责任的权力应有助于对他人的敏感性。本项目通过将权力整合到社会权力理论中来检验这一假设。在此过程中，我们还研究了自我调节机制（即，自我调节模式和实施/审议心态）和主持人（即，积极/消极反馈），可能会对他人的敏感性产生这些影响。该项目提出并测试了一个理论框架，首次解释了权力的潜在积极和消极社会影响。

Many social relations are characterized by social power: Some individuals have asymmetric control over resources (e.g., money, information) which other individuals depend on. This applies to societies, academia, public institutions, and other organizations. How does a powerful position alter social behavior? The media and public discussions often display social power as a corruptive force: Power-holders frequently seem to misuse their power to own ends (e.g., to secure personal benefits) while neglecting their responsibility for others. Substantial evidence from power research supports this idea: By providing relative freedom and opportunities, power seems to tempt individuals to act rather selfishly. Yet, there are also many examples of power-holders who seem highly sensitive to others and treat their subordinates considerately. Initial evidence, suggests, indeed, that power can - at times - be exercised responsibly thereby facilitating effective collaboration with subordinates. This highlights the importance of a responsible use of power to ensure organizational performance and the functioning of social relations. To today, however, a theoretical and empirical approach to explain when and how power-holders do become sensitive to others is lacking. The present research proposal addresses this gap. Social power (i.e., asymmetric control over others outcomes) provides the power-holder both with opportunities (e.g., to secure personal benefits) and responsibilities (e.g., to take care of oneself and others). Power-holders can be more or less aware of either of these two sides of power. In other words, high power can be construed (i.e., perceived) differently: as an opportunity or as a responsibility. How power is construed should, in turn, meaningfully impact the sensitivity to others in attention and behavior: Power construed as opportunity implies the experience of freedom and the possibilities to pursue one's current goals. As a consequence, power-holders construing their power as an opportunity should especially focus on and implement action towards the goal at hand (e.g., a current task), at the same time ignoring others' situation. In contrast, power construed as responsibility implies the experience of an inner obligation to take care of, for instance, decisions and those lower in power, in line with relevant standards (e.g., to act in an ethical manner). As such, power construed as responsibility should facilitate sensitivity to others. The present project tests this assumption by integrating construal of power into theories on social power. In doing so, we also investigate self-regulatory mechanisms (i.e., self-regulatory mode and implemental/deliberative mindset) and a moderator (i.e., positive/negative feedback) that may bring about these effects on sensitivity towards others. The project proposes and tests a theoretical framework that, for the first time, explains both potential positive and negative social implications of power.