Naukovi Novyny, Vol 1, Issue 6, June 27, 2019
Some aspects of psychology of (administrative) power in general and (administrative) power in science in particular
Some aspects of psychology of (administrative) power in general and (administrative) power in science in particular
Oleksandra Shapovalova
Oleksandra Shapovalova
(Master of Experimental Psychology, Psychologist, Lecturer of Psychology, Specialization - Psychological Analysis of Texts and Methods of Scientific Research)
(Master of Experimental Psychology, Psychologist, Lecturer of Psychology, Specialization - Psychological Analysis of Texts and Methods of Scientific Research)
Human, too human. . .
Human, too human. . .
F. Nietzsche
F. Nietzsche
Abstract
Abstract
The article briefly addresses the following aspects of the psychology of power: who aspires to power, why power is needed, how power transforms a human. Also the question is put: Why it is so difficult to abandon power?.
The article briefly addresses the following aspects of the psychology of power: who aspires to power, why power is needed, how power transforms a human. Also the question is put: Why it is so difficult to abandon power?.
Faced with social problems, we usually think that we know their causes - wrong people are in power. We are accustomed to this, but we are surprised, applying the same understanding to issues related to the world of science. It seems to us that people who have received special training in intellectual development must be different from all others and act differently. So, let's consider the issue of power and the abuse of power in general and in the scientific sphere in particular.
Faced with social problems, we usually think that we know their causes - wrong people are in power. We are accustomed to this, but we are surprised, applying the same understanding to issues related to the world of science. It seems to us that people who have received special training in intellectual development must be different from all others and act differently. So, let's consider the issue of power and the abuse of power in general and in the scientific sphere in particular.
Aspect 1. Who aspires to power
Aspect 1. Who aspires to power
Considering the psychological characteristics of the person who aspires to power, scholars offer different characteristics. B. Rassel [1] believed that the desire for power is embedded in every person, which is quite similar to the understanding of the men's drive to power by F. Nietzsche [2]. And, although A. Adler [3] did not support the same interpretation, the desire of power as a means of achieving security and self-perfection is also described by him. On the contrary, considering the analytical psychology of K.H. Jung [4] and its consequences, we will see that, at least some part of humanity, not only does not want power, but also feels it as an unpleasant and unnecessary burden. But even in this case, dividing power into explicit, visible power, which can be represented by the figure of, for example, the political leader, and the power of the "gray cardinal" - the hidden, imperceptible, the one that works by "pulling by the threads", we will no longer be so certain that a person who abandons the power of the first type will not want the power of the second type. This type includes all those cases that are studied by the psychology of influence under the name of manipulation described by E. Shostrom [5] and types of manipulators and games of E. Bern [6]. Such people are usually called manipulators, and their personality is characterized by the triad of features - predisposition to lies, psychiatric anomalies and narcissism. This is the so-called "dark triad". [7]. This is something that is usually called in psychology "Emotionally unstable personality type", or "Border type personality". That is, it's not a disease yet, but it's not a normal state of a healthy, by the common standards, human being. This is life on the border between a relatively normal, in the opinion of most people, perception and attitude towards the world and other people, and anomalous, psychotic, again, in the opinion of most people, perception and attitude [8]. And, oddly enough, people of this type often achieve career and business success, because they are not stopped by common moral and emotional brakes, as others. So, we can generalize: every person can strive for power. This is a natural need for a human being, although it is not always possible for a person to realize it, and even less likely to satisfy it, in the case of the pursuit of high leadership positions. But this basic need transforms in some people into an intrusive dominant need for power over others, satisfying which, such people use manipulations and abuses. It is these people who go further where the average person, for which power is not am aim in itself, stops.
Considering the psychological characteristics of the person who aspires to power, scholars offer different characteristics. B. Rassel [1] believed that the desire for power is embedded in every person, which is quite similar to the understanding of the men's drive to power by F. Nietzsche [2]. And, although A. Adler [3] did not support the same interpretation, the desire of power as a means of achieving security and self-perfection is also described by him. On the contrary, considering the analytical psychology of K.H. Jung [4] and its consequences, we will see that, at least some part of humanity, not only does not want power, but also feels it as an unpleasant and unnecessary burden. But even in this case, dividing power into explicit, visible power, which can be represented by the figure of, for example, the political leader, and the power of the "gray cardinal" - the hidden, imperceptible, the one that works by "pulling by the threads", we will no longer be so certain that a person who abandons the power of the first type will not want the power of the second type. This type includes all those cases that are studied by the psychology of influence under the name of manipulation described by E. Shostrom [5] and types of manipulators and games of E. Bern [6]. Such people are usually called manipulators, and their personality is characterized by the triad of features - predisposition to lies, psychiatric anomalies and narcissism. This is the so-called "dark triad". [7]. This is something that is usually called in psychology "Emotionally unstable personality type", or "Border type personality". That is, it's not a disease yet, but it's not a normal state of a healthy, by the common standards, human being. This is life on the border between a relatively normal, in the opinion of most people, perception and attitude towards the world and other people, and anomalous, psychotic, again, in the opinion of most people, perception and attitude [8]. And, oddly enough, people of this type often achieve career and business success, because they are not stopped by common moral and emotional brakes, as others. So, we can generalize: every person can strive for power. This is a natural need for a human being, although it is not always possible for a person to realize it, and even less likely to satisfy it, in the case of the pursuit of high leadership positions. But this basic need transforms in some people into an intrusive dominant need for power over others, satisfying which, such people use manipulations and abuses. It is these people who go further where the average person, for which power is not am aim in itself, stops.
Aspect 2. Why power is needed
Aspect 2. Why power is needed
Very often, speaking of power, scientists use a comparison with a drug (narcotic). But what exactly makes it this attarctive?
Very often, speaking of power, scientists use a comparison with a drug (narcotic). But what exactly makes it this attarctive?
Firstly, compensation for personality defects. The one who "yesterday was nobody but today becomes everything" feels not only in greater security, stronger, more confident and perfect, he seems to be higher, physically stronger, more attractive [9]. Let's recall stories when university rectors tell about the crazy love that connects them with young beauties. They themselves believe in this love, and sometimes the young beauties believe in strength of this love, because the power itself makes a person sexually attractive [10]. Secondly, and this is not less important, the power gives the person an opportunity to achieve what she/he has sought of so far [11]. If she/he had ambitions - she/he satisfies many of them. If she/he wanted to change the world for the better, she/he is given such a chance for the moment (another question if she/he can/is able to really do it). If she/he wanted to create something, find out something, get somewhere, check a hypothesis - now she/he has the opportunity for such creativity, both intellectual and social creativity.
Firstly, compensation for personality defects. The one who "yesterday was nobody but today becomes everything" feels not only in greater security, stronger, more confident and perfect, he seems to be higher, physically stronger, more attractive [9]. Let's recall stories when university rectors tell about the crazy love that connects them with young beauties. They themselves believe in this love, and sometimes the young beauties believe in strength of this love, because the power itself makes a person sexually attractive [10]. Secondly, and this is not less important, the power gives the person an opportunity to achieve what she/he has sought of so far [11]. If she/he had ambitions - she/he satisfies many of them. If she/he wanted to change the world for the better, she/he is given such a chance for the moment (another question if she/he can/is able to really do it). If she/he wanted to create something, find out something, get somewhere, check a hypothesis - now she/he has the opportunity for such creativity, both intellectual and social creativity.
And thirdly - the power gives the person opportunity to use his/her abilities, that is, it gives the best intellectual, emotional and physical stimulation to the human body. And it already looks like the feelings of a person who is suffering from passion for gambling, or of the drug addict [12].
And thirdly - the power gives the person opportunity to use his/her abilities, that is, it gives the best intellectual, emotional and physical stimulation to the human body. And it already looks like the feelings of a person who is suffering from passion for gambling, or of the drug addict [12].
Aspect 3. What power does with a human
Aspect 3. What power does with a human
So, as we see, power seems to make a man more perfect, flawless, popular, and strong. It gives a sense of excitement, opens up new horizons, sets new goals and allows to achieve them. Thanks to power, a person becomes more attractive and interesting to others, because she/he is surrounded by those who want to get something from her/him, that is why many flatter to her/him. In addition, those who have power, money, opportunities, tend to connect with similar ones. "Hand rubs a hand", "you give me, I give you", " we are one team, will pay off later". In this way, alliances and unions are created, the exit from which is not always safe or even possible, because yesterday's partner can become tomorrow's dangerous witness.
So, as we see, power seems to make a man more perfect, flawless, popular, and strong. It gives a sense of excitement, opens up new horizons, sets new goals and allows to achieve them. Thanks to power, a person becomes more attractive and interesting to others, because she/he is surrounded by those who want to get something from her/him, that is why many flatter to her/him. In addition, those who have power, money, opportunities, tend to connect with similar ones. "Hand rubs a hand", "you give me, I give you", " we are one team, will pay off later". In this way, alliances and unions are created, the exit from which is not always safe or even possible, because yesterday's partner can become tomorrow's dangerous witness.
Why is it so hard to give up power, despite the rate of intelligence and training
Why is it so hard to give up power, despite the rate of intelligence and training
So, we got to the question from which we started - how it happens that good people with trained intellect, who got specialized education, have high IQ and know the world well, become uncritical precisely on this issue - in assessing their role in the world and science, and clinging to power "to the last". Consider an imaginary example of the evolution of such a specialist.
So, we got to the question from which we started - how it happens that good people with trained intellect, who got specialized education, have high IQ and know the world well, become uncritical precisely on this issue - in assessing their role in the world and science, and clinging to power "to the last". Consider an imaginary example of the evolution of such a specialist.
Here, a certain student is learning. He/she is talented and intelligent, ambitious and has some ideas about the development of his/her own field. He/she graduates from university, gets PhD, gets a good position and makes a career. At the same time, he/she refuses to himself/herself in many things and pleasures. While his/her peers enjoy life, he/she learns and works. He/she establishes friendship with those who can be useful, marries someone who can help him/her in his/her career development. Having reached the high levels of power, spending decades to achieve it, he/she realizes that he/she has achieved all this with his/her own work and talent. After all, there were thousands of talented and intelligent people from where he/she came from, and he/she was the only to reach a position of a high-level leader. He/she is surrounded by hundreds of people who flatter to him/her every day, and he/she believes in the flattery. Many treaties hold on his/her authority and name, his/her relationship with others, he/she is liked by women/man. And he/she is getting old. New talented and smart people appear who want to take his/her place. "I have achieved so much, I have done such things, I am praised so much, the whole story of my life proves that I am the strongest and most intelligent "animal" in these scientific "jungles"." And apart from this, the abandonment of power sometimes means losing everything acquired. Becoming at once not a promising intelligent handsome man/woman, but just an elderly person. Becoming not that person to whom people go with requests and treaties, but a person which is needed only by a few others. To find out that "friends" never really loved him and did not really respect him. Leave all opportunities for creation and to be bored. To lose access to sources of enrichment and needed resources. And, perhaps, to become an undesirable witness, and that who will be blamed for errors, about which today only whispers can be heard behind their backs.
Here, a certain student is learning. He/she is talented and intelligent, ambitious and has some ideas about the development of his/her own field. He/she graduates from university, gets PhD, gets a good position and makes a career. At the same time, he/she refuses to himself/herself in many things and pleasures. While his/her peers enjoy life, he/she learns and works. He/she establishes friendship with those who can be useful, marries someone who can help him/her in his/her career development. Having reached the high levels of power, spending decades to achieve it, he/she realizes that he/she has achieved all this with his/her own work and talent. After all, there were thousands of talented and intelligent people from where he/she came from, and he/she was the only to reach a position of a high-level leader. He/she is surrounded by hundreds of people who flatter to him/her every day, and he/she believes in the flattery. Many treaties hold on his/her authority and name, his/her relationship with others, he/she is liked by women/man. And he/she is getting old. New talented and smart people appear who want to take his/her place. "I have achieved so much, I have done such things, I am praised so much, the whole story of my life proves that I am the strongest and most intelligent "animal" in these scientific "jungles"." And apart from this, the abandonment of power sometimes means losing everything acquired. Becoming at once not a promising intelligent handsome man/woman, but just an elderly person. Becoming not that person to whom people go with requests and treaties, but a person which is needed only by a few others. To find out that "friends" never really loved him and did not really respect him. Leave all opportunities for creation and to be bored. To lose access to sources of enrichment and needed resources. And, perhaps, to become an undesirable witness, and that who will be blamed for errors, about which today only whispers can be heard behind their backs.
No, to abandon power voluntarily, you need to be a superman/superwoman. And he/she is just a man/woman. As we remember, the Archbishop of Granada from the novel of A. Lesage [13] hired Gil Blas to follow the quality of his speeches (that is, to be a critic), in order not to miss the moment when the aging archbishop would lose his speech writhing gift and save the old man from shame. Feeling sincere love to this good old man, Gil Blas complied with his request. But the same day he was fired. Power is too human phenomenon to be simply rejected, even by reasonable and trained person. Throughout the entire history of mankind, only a few voluntarily did it - they left not under the influence of circumstances, not because of poor health, or not by maintaining "a good face in a bad game" in agreements with the opponents, but simply dropped the power and left.
No, to abandon power voluntarily, you need to be a superman/superwoman. And he/she is just a man/woman. As we remember, the Archbishop of Granada from the novel of A. Lesage [13] hired Gil Blas to follow the quality of his speeches (that is, to be a critic), in order not to miss the moment when the aging archbishop would lose his speech writhing gift and save the old man from shame. Feeling sincere love to this good old man, Gil Blas complied with his request. But the same day he was fired. Power is too human phenomenon to be simply rejected, even by reasonable and trained person. Throughout the entire history of mankind, only a few voluntarily did it - they left not under the influence of circumstances, not because of poor health, or not by maintaining "a good face in a bad game" in agreements with the opponents, but simply dropped the power and left.
References
References
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