What is something important, about which nearly everybody is wrong?
For a long time, people have considered power important and sought power, for it gives freedom and the ability to shape themselves. Power gives the owner the freedom to make decisions, allowing them individual autonomy. In a lower position, one has to follow others' decisions, while with power, one is granted the privilege to decide for oneself. C. Wright Mills, an American sociologist, suggested the Power Elite Theory, which is a theory that power is composed of a handful of wealthy "ruling class" elites. Today, the power elites dominate American politics, bringing disadvantages to average Americans and the perception that power is "high class and elite." The emphasis and seeking for power are excessive. Power's definition, according to the Cambridge Dictionary, is the ability to control people and events. However, today, this definition of power is not being fulfilled correctly. Influential people are abusing their privileges and have lost their ability to control and influence society, so power's importance is diminishing. This essay will illustrate why the majority of people are wrong about the importance of power.
Power can bring some benefits to our lives. Power deducts stress and brings productivity. In a study, students were assigned two roles: the interviewer and the interviewee in a job interview. Then, they were asked to respond to time-related statements like "There is plenty of time in my life" or "Time slips by so fast." The results showed that students assigned the role of the interviewer, who has more power, tended to react more positively and believed they had more time. The different perception of time allows people to have better control over their lives since they do not experience pressure regarding time. In another study called the "Power Game" from the UBC Sauder School of Business, 28% of people preferred power, even though there were no social or financial benefits.
Power can be described with four main words: influence, clarity, energy, and confidence. Power comes with the responsibility to support others, and powerful people have much influence when making decisions. This influence can create better solutions to problems and improve the world. Next is clarity; power can bring more discipline and regulation to society. With the ability to control your and others' power, you will better handle situations and other people's environments. Energy in power is about insight. Unique ideas from the inside influence society, and this energy allows self-understanding and growth. The final word is confidence. Power gives people confidence in their beliefs and allows them to speak out their opinions without a doubt. Even though power has many essential benefits, the privileges given to powerful people often become valueless.
Power often corrupts an individual's mind. A study found that when given a photograph of different people and asked to guess their height, the subjects who were assigned more power tended to guess a smaller height than the actual height. This shows that when you have power, you consider others smaller and more powerless than they actually are. Some researchers argue that power does not corrupt but gives people the freedom to do what they want. However, this freedom may be abused. For instance, powerful people are more likely to be dishonest. Powerful people were more likely to respond on a higher scale to questions such as "Would you commit an affair against your partner?" Another example of the relationship between corruption and power is the NRA (National Rifle Association), which is often considered more powerful than the US government itself. Their slogan is "Guns don't kill people, People kill people," supporting guns for money. The US has had countless mass shootings because the NRA has immense power and is abusing it. As of May, the US has had over 200 mass shootings just in 2023 and still cannot set a stricter gun control policy. This proves those in power, like the NRA, are likely to abuse their power and reach a stage that's become impossible to control.
Many politicians also abuse their power, which is why they are often considered dishonest. Adolf Hitler, for example, was a corrupt politician who abused his power to start a world war and slaughter Jews in a holocaust. The psychology behind this corruption is that people gain a more self-centered view, as they have a more challenging time thinking from others' points of view. Today, narcissism is pervasive in politics, and numerous self-centered politicians exist. Often, politicians who have narcissism show destructive leadership.
Bribing is another form and path to corruption. Many people, especially politicians, abuse their authority and power to gain what they want. People bribe to receive a benefit from an organization. The estimated cost of corruption is $2.6 trillion, and over $1 trillion worth of bribes. Samsung, Korea's most successful business, was also involved in bribery with Korea's former president Park Geun-Hye. In 2016, the public discovered that Lee, Samsung's CEO, paid $8 million to the Korean government to receive national support. This bribery case sparked numerous debates over the nation, eventually leading to the impeachment of President Park. The desire for power even leads to national leaders' corruption.
Corruption also exists in education. Educational institutes were bribed about $70 million around the world. Parents often buy costly gifts for the teachers to show gratitude in exchange for their child's academic advantage. Bribing in education especially occurs frequently in highly competitive countries. This issue was so prominent and severe that the government had to create a law to prevent it. The "Kim Young-ran law" in South Korea blocks teachers from accepting gifts over the price of KRW30,000. This new legislation was quite effective at solving the corruption issues in education; 89% of Koreans said the law was effective. However, parents are not the only ones who are corrupt; many school principals have also been involved in bribery. One hundred fifty-seven headmasters in South Korea are suspected of bribing and taking money from travel agencies for the schools' field trips. One elementary school principal received a total of KRW 20.2 million from a travel agency in 2006. The parents are trying to access the institutes' power by bribing, which also occurs frequently today. So, both the powerful and non-powerful people are becoming corrupt and taking immoral actions to gain an advantage. The non-powerful people, like some parents, would pay money to the institutes in power to benefit their children. On the other hand, powerful and influential figures would take advantage of the powerless and abuse their privileges.
Bullying is a significant issue in today's society, and the urge for power is considered one of the reasons for bullying. Bullies tend to be popular and have a high social status. Most bullies use bullying and abuse as a tool to gain social dominance over others. When measured with the Interpersonal Goal Inventory for Children, bullies had more immediate status goals than non-bullies. Their striving for popularity also often leads to inflated self-confidence. They believe they are superior, and the victims do not speak up and confront a bully due to the fear of revenge. So, people, even from a young age, abuse their power, strive for a higher social status, and constantly bully others. To decrease this problem, Korean governments have created policies like Anti-bullying legislation, but bullying still exists predominantly. One type of bullying even adults experience is workplace bullying, where older and superior workers harass workers with a lower status. The higher workers disrespect and degrade the other workers to raise their power. According to StopBullying.gov, a government website centered on bullying and its prevention, approximately 20% of students experienced bullying. Bullying brings its victims numerous mental and physical health issues, like anxiety, depression, and even decreased academic achievement. People get addicted to power and always strive for more; power only motivates people to degrade others, which has detrimental influences on victims.
In the democratic society we live in today, the citizens' general opinions have more impact than one individual leader of power. Today, more than half of the world is democratic; in 2017, 57% of the world's nations were democracies. Even major decisions like Presidential elections are decided through the public's voting. Even the citizens believe that presidents should not possess any more power. 76% of US citizens think giving the president more power will be too risky. 69% of citizens say that who is president does not have a significant influence on their personal lives. Presidents, or other individuals with authority, have less impact. The United States Constitution granted the president military power, diplomatic power, appointment power, and many other privileges. However, the president's role has developed over the years; today, their power has reduced drastically. Rather than military power, their responsibility is to implement and enforce laws written by Congress, according to the White House. Even this responsibility is further distributed equally among federal agencies and various departments.
Even a nation's leader cannot directly influence the country; they are not allowed to create new legislation, spend money, or declare wars independently. Instead, they can only do this with the consent and agreement of congress members, senates, and citizens. If not, they will receive severe criticism. So, even with a high-power position, one cannot bring the vast influence they want. "It is the civil society leaders who, in many ways, are going to have the more lasting impact because, as the saying goes, the most important title is not 'president' or 'prime minister'; the most important title is 'citizen.'", former president, Obama said in his speech to the Clinton Global Initiative. He said that the citizens change society because when people express their ideas, the government will respond and make better decisions with citizens in consideration. Therefore, in a democratic society, major decisions are primarily made by the citizens of the community, not only those with power.
Today, power is one of the most admirable qualities. Powerful authorities, like the president, have national fame and significant influence. People have a greed and wanting for power and the privileges that come with it. However, power does not deserve the respect and emphasis it currently has. Instead, people must recognize the risks of power and reconsider its benefits to society.
Sources
“14.3 Theories of Power and Society.” University of Minnesota Libraries Publishing Edition, 2016. This Edition Adapted from a Work Originally Produced in 2010 by a Publisher Who Has Requested That It Not Receive Attribution., 1 May 2023, https://open.lib.umn.edu/sociology/chapter/14-3-theories-of-power-and-society/.
Alfonso, Jesus. “Why Power does not Guarantee Happiness across Cultures.” ScholarWorks@GVSU, https://scholarworks.gvsu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1131&context=orpc.
Beck, Julie. “People Want Power Because They Want Autonomy.” The Atlantic, 22 Mar. 2016, https://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2016/03/people-want-power-because-they-want-autonomy/474669/.
Brian Resnick, National. “How Power Corrupts the Mind.” The Atlantic, 9 July 2013, https://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2013/07/how-power-corrupts-the-mind/277638/
DeSilver, Drew. “More than half of countries are democratic.” Pew Research Center, 14 May 2019, https://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2019/05/14/more-than-half-of-countries-are-democratic/
“Effects of Bullying.” StopBullying.Gov, 24 Sept. 2019, https://www.stopbullying.gov/bullying/effects
Gill, Timothy. “Perspective | Why the Power Elite Continues to Dominate American Politics.” The Washington Post, 24 Dec. 2018, https://www.washingtonpost.com/outlook/2018/12/24/why-power-elite-continues-dominate-american-politics/
“How Many US Mass Shootings Have There Been in 2023?” BBC News, 26 May 2023, https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-41488081.
Juvonen, Jaana, and Sandra Graham. “Bullying in Schools: The Power of Bullies and the Plight of Victims.” Annual Review of Psychology, vol. 65:159-185, Aug. 2013, https://www.annualreviews.org/doi/10.1146/annurev-psych-010213-115030
“Keeping the Balance: What a President Can Do and Cannot Do.” Truman Library, https://www.trumanlibrary.gov/education/three-branches/what-president-can-do-cannot-do
Lamia, Mary. “The Psychology of a Workplace Bully.” The Guardian, 28 Mar. 2017, http://www.theguardian.com/careers/2017/mar/28/the-psychology-of-a-workplace-bully
“Lee Jae-Yong: Why South Korea Just Pardoned the Samsung ‘Prince.’” BBC News, 12 Aug. 2022, https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-62501514
Leon F. Seltzer, is the author of Paradoxical. “Narcissism: Why It’s So Rampant in Politics.” Psychology Today, 1 May 2023, Narcissism: Why It's So Rampant in Politics | Psychology Today
Mateo, Ashley. “The Surprising Benefit of Being a Powerful Person.” SELF, 9 Nov. 2014, https://www.self.com/story/surprising-benefit-powerful-person
Miller, Rick. “What Is Power, Really?” Forbes, 25 Oct. 2018, https://www.forbes.com/sites/rickmiller/2018/10/25/what-is-power-really/
Molnar, Michele. “Fraud Costs Education At Least $70 Million Globally, Study Says - Market Brief.” Market Brief, 8 May 2019, https://marketbrief.edweek.org/marketplace-k-12/fraud-costs-education-least-70-million-globally-study-says/
OECD (2013), “What are bribery and corruption?”, in Bribery and Corruption Awareness Handbook for Tax Examiners and Tax Auditors, OECD Publishing, Paris.
Pikulina, See. Preferences for Power. https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=3025621
“School Corruption Shows No End.” The Korea Times, 30 Mar. 2010, https://www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/nation/2023/05/113_63310.html
Shefsky, Jay. “The Changing Role of the American President.” WTTW News, https://news.wttw.com/2020/02/17/changing-role-american-president
“The Executive Branch.” The White House, https://www.whitehouse.gov/about-the-white-house/our-government/the-executive-branch/
The Obsession with Greatness Leads to Power Abuse: Is Spiritual Intelligence an Appropriate Response? http://www.scielo.org.za/scielo.php?script=sci_arttext&pid=S2305-08532019000200002
Useem, Jerry. “Power Causes Brain Damage.” The Atlantic, 18 June 2017, https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2017/07/power-causes-brain-damage/528711/
Comments