Inhibited Power Motivation is Associated with the Facial Width-to-Height Ratio in Females

Abstract

The inhibited power motive is a disposition for obtaining a functional influence on others (Schultheiss 2008) and characterized by a high implicit need for Power (n Power) and high activity inhibition (AI; McClelland Journal of Abnormal Psychology, 88(2), 182–190, 1979). Organizational effects of gonadal steroid hormones on the brain during prenatal development affect the emerging n Power (Schultheiss and Zimni Adaptive Human Behavior and Physiology, 1(4), 387–407, 2015) but it is unknown whether there are similar associations during puberty, a second phase of endocrine organization (Schulz et al. Hormones and Behavior, 55(5), 597–604, 2009). In two studies (combined for analyses; total N = 213, after exclusions), we investigated this relationship using the facial width-to-height ratio (fWHR; Weston et al. PloS One, 2(8), e710, 2007), assessed via anthropometry, as a marker of organizational hormone effects during puberty in a cross-sectional, correlational design. N Power and AI were measured via Picture Story Exercise (PSE; McClelland et al. Psychological Review, 96, 690–702, 1989). Controlling for BMI and age in a multiple regression analysis predicting fWHR, we found a significant n Power x AI-effect, B = 0.15, SE = 0.07, t(207) = 2.03, p = .04, ∆R 2 = .02. N Power and fWHR approached a marginally significant positive association, when AI was high (+1SD; B = 0.16, SE = 0.10, t(207) = 1.64, p = .10) and showed a negative but insignificant association, when AI was low (−1SD; B = −0.14, SE = 0.10, t(207) = −1.40, p = .16). After adding gender to the model on an exploratory basis, we found a significant n Power x AI x Gender-effect (B = 0.34, SE = 0.17, t(203) = 2.00, p = .05, ∆R 2 = .02), predominantly driven by a positive effect of the inhibited power motive in females, B = 0.28, SE = 0.13, t(55) = 2.24, p = .03, ∆R 2 = .08. Compared with past research, this finding was unexpected since fWHR is commonly linked to various criteria in males. Implications for the understanding of the development of n Power are discussed, respecting the limitations of our design.