Examining the Effects of Power as a Function of Self-Construals and Gender

Abstract

Building on prior work showing that the effects of power depend on the goals that people associate with power (Chen, Lee-Chai, & Bargh, 2001), the present research examined the goals powerholders pursue as a function of their self-construal and gender. An independent self-construal, or a view of the self as separate from others, is associated with the promotion of one's own goals, while an interdependent self-construal, or a view of the self as interconnected with others, entails a focus on others' goals. Because power affords the opportunity to pursue one's current goals, when power is coupled with an independent self-construal, self-interest goals are likely to be enhanced, whereas power combined with an interdependent self-construal should heighten other-oriented goals. In light of research suggesting gender differences in self-construals (e.g., Cross & Madson, 1997a), it was hypothesized that men and women would experience particular combinations of power and self-construals differently, resulting in distinct power-goal effects. Participants read a vignette describing a situation in which their own interests were pitted against another person's interests. The results showed that different combinations of power and self-construals—and the sense of independence or interdependence associated with them—led men and women to pursue similar goals in response to the vignette situation. Overall, these findings represent a first step in examining the joint role of self-construals and gender in determining the effects of power.