Power Trip?

It really baffles me as to why people are so cruel to one another and just how easily some folks can get on a “power trip”. 

Not too long ago I read an essay in the Wall Street Journal discussing the "paradox of power," http://online.wsj.com/article_email/SB10001424052748704407804575425561952689390-lMyQjAxMTAwMDEwODExNDgyWj.html a syndrome that turns people in authority into dictators which got me thinking about the “power trips” people in my own life are on and its why I chose this topic to blog on today.

“Power tends to corrupt, and absolute power corrupts absolutely" (Lord Acton).  - This is not just a maxim, but reality.

People, Leaders and, ‘perceived’ leaders get into trouble by subconsciously thinking it they have no limits on their power.  Though most people wouldn’t say as much out loud, this thinking is all too often reinforced by others who subordinate themselves in order to gain favor with the person in power.  This is especially true in business but is also applicable in social situations.  It's all about power... 

Although most people almost always know the right thing to do (cheating/stealing is wrong etc..) sometimes people on a power trip believe that their power can rationalize away the ethical lapse.  For example, there was a study (The Paradox of Power in CSR:  A Case Study on Implementation Krista Bondy Cranfield School of Management,) (1) where psychologists asked their subjects (in both low and high power positions) how they would judge an individual who drove too fast when they were late for an appointment.  The people in the high power group consistently said it was worse when others did that than when they did that themselves.  The people in the high power positions, with their feeling of superiority led them to conclude that they had a good reason for speeding (they are important people, with important things to do) but that everyone else should follow the posted signs and obey the speed limit.

So what does this study tell us in terms of everyday life, work and social situations? Well, addressing the work situation, we all know or have worked with the person who consistently abuses their rights or position (usually a boss or manager) simply “because they can”; and then there’s the group of subordinates who consistently “yes” the boss to death, look to promote themselves and make sure the boss is aware of their co-workers’ short-comings, mistakes, oversights etc.  In other words, thet're so far up the bosses ass, if he/she took a quick left or right turn they’d break their nose.  

Addressing the social situation, there is always a person or group of people who seem to be in control (power) in all of our lives doesn’t there?  This person or this group of people, usually start to come into power because they are genuinely nice and well liked – in the beginning... They are “SO popular”!  As times goes on and people continue to like them, converse with them, socialize with them, some of these people or just one or two people from the group, will begin to overestimate their moral virtue, begin to feel as though they are more important than others thus leading to a feeling of superiority and the concept of their own supremacy.

The term “playing favorites” comes to mind in both of these situations (work and social).  People in positions of power tend to surround themselves with others who will allow them to continue to feel superior and back up their impressions, choices and actions and who produce a feedback that will continually reinforce their perceptions.  Their focus is solely focused on the center – and make no mistake, these people ARE their own center, they are concerned with dominating people and manipulating situations to increase their own prestige.  

The addiction for power and control over others distorts their version of the people, things and situations around them.  They feel there is only one ‘true’ and ‘right’ opinion and outlook, and it is theirs.  The feeling of power dramatically changes how individuals act, react and respond to information and others.  Because of this, the power tripper can’t analyze the strength of an opinion or debate that which differs from their own.  Those with authority focus on whether the opinion or argument confirms what they already believe.  If it doesn’t, the facts are conveniently ignored.  God help you if you cross this person, dare to disagree with their perception of anything, or offer an alternative way of thinking because they will make your life miserable (if you let them) and usually will stop at nothing to make sure you are ostracized from, at minimum, their world or group.  
 

The power tripper has built up a very warped picture of themselves and the world around them.  Their mind is such that whatever they believe is true, however they discern a situation or an individual, is absolute.  They become attuned to the actions of any person or situation that even remotely threatens their power addiction.

So how do we handle these power trippers and how do we stop ourselves from becoming one?  

“Let go of your attachment to being right and suddenly your mind is more open.  You’re able to benefit from the unique viewpoint of others without being crippled by your own judgment.” (Ralph Marston) 


Practicing that phrase in our own lives would be a place to start in my humble opinion.  We should all be aware that our own expectations, desires, demands – what’s going on in our own lives, dominate our perceptions of the world around us and that our perceptions change as our worlds change.  We do not have to control and manipulate others to be happy.  However, even well intentioned individuals, bosses, leaders, elected officials and the like fall victim to the allure of ‘power’.

We should learn to stay humble.  Surrounding ourselves with people who are not afraid to offer a different point of view or assert themselves even when it is contrary to our opinions, perceptions or ideas isn,t a bad idea.  Not falling into the trap of relying on the same people for advice and to tell us consistently we are right..  A good boss/leader/official and even a good friend needs – deserves to be challenged at least once in a while. Reasonable people WILL disagree, UNreasonable people (aka power trippers) will wield whatever authority they believe they have over you and try to “make you” see it their way. 

Staying off the power trip takes discipline and a lot of continuous self-relflection.

Personally, I don’t need the emotional toxicity that mean people tend to emit and people on power trips emit quite a bit of it.  So let’s 86 the bullshit and tell me what you think about “power trips”.  Are there any power trippers in your life?  Are you on a power trip yourself? Maybe you think I'm just full of shit?  Talk to me…

(1) example given is from original article.