Abstract
Power has long been associated with dishonesty. Here, we examined the contributions of personal and structural factors associated with power. Across five studies (N = 1,366), we tested the hypothesis that being dominant, more than having power and felt prestige, predicts dishonesty in incentivized tasks, moral disengagement, and breaking of Covid-19 containment rules. Dominance and dishonesty were positively associated (Study 1). Furthermore, dominance contributed to the positive relationship between occupational power and dishonesty in natural settings (Studies 2 and 5). Different types of power had inconsistent effects on dishonesty (Studies 3 and 4). Prestige was unrelated to dishonesty. Dominant individuals were overrepresented at the top, suggesting that the association between power and dishonesty may derive from self-selection processes, rather than power itself.
Highlights
Dishonest power holders appear to be common
To shed light on factors implicated in dishonesty among powerful people, we separate the roles of predispositions that motivate people to seek and presumably attain power, and actual power’s effects on ethical conduct
The promotion of dominant individuals is especially pronounced in competitive intergroup settings (Van Kleef et al, 2021), and under uncertainty, when individuals feel a lack of personal control (Kakkar & Sivanathan, 2017)
Summary
Dishonest power holders appear to be common. direct empirical evidence is nuanced (Lammers et al, 2015), and the links between power and dishonesty are not fully understood. We propose that the types of people who seek and attain power are disproportionally more dishonest. To shed light on factors implicated in dishonesty among powerful people, we separate the roles of predispositions that motivate people to seek and presumably attain power (trait dominance, feelings of prestige), and actual power’s effects on ethical conduct. The DBS facilitates the prioritization of attention and the deployment of any means necessary for people to ascend in social settings. Dishonesty is generally associated with high levels of motivations that accrue self-benefits, including performance motivation (Ames & Archer, 1988; Dweck, Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin 00(0). This is an important gap, as dominance is overrepresented in power positions. We test the hypothesis that dominance is associated with dishonesty, even in contexts when seeking power is not at stake
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