Joseph L. Rotman School of Management, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
J Pers Soc Psychol. 2011 Aug;101(2):217-32. doi: 10.1037/a0023171.
Power increases the tendency to behave in a goal-congruent fashion. Guided by this theoretical notion, we hypothesized that elevated power would strengthen the positive association between prosocial orientation and empathic accuracy. In 3 studies with university and adult samples, prosocial orientation was more strongly associated with empathic accuracy when distinct forms of power were high than when power was low. In Study 1, a physiological indicator of prosocial orientation, respiratory sinus arrhythmia, exhibited a stronger positive association with empathic accuracy in a face-to-face interaction among dispositionally high-power individuals. In Study 2, experimentally induced prosocial orientation increased the ability to accurately judge the emotions of a stranger but only for individuals induced to feel powerful. In Study 3, a trait measure of prosocial orientation was more strongly related to scores on a standard test of empathic accuracy among employees who occupied high-power positions within an organization. Study 3 further showed a mediated relationship between prosocial orientation and career satisfaction through empathic accuracy among employees in high-power positions but not among employees in lower power positions. Discussion concentrates upon the implications of these findings for studies of prosociality, power, and social behavior.
权力增强了人们以与目标一致的方式行事的倾向。基于这一理论观点，我们假设，当权力提升时，亲社会倾向与同理心准确性之间的积极关联将得到加强。在三项涉及大学生和成年样本的研究中，当权力形式多样且处于高位时，亲社会倾向与同理心准确性的关联更为强烈，而当权力处于低位时则不然。在研究 1 中，亲社会倾向的一种生理指标——呼吸窦性心律失常，在高权力个体的面对面互动中，与同理心准确性表现出更强的正相关。在研究 2 中，实验诱导的亲社会倾向增加了准确判断陌生人情绪的能力，但仅对那些感到有权力的个体有效。在研究 3 中，一项亲社会倾向的特质衡量标准，与组织中处于高权力职位的员工在标准同理心准确性测试中的得分更为相关。研究 3 还表明，在高权力职位的员工中，亲社会倾向通过同理心准确性与职业满意度之间存在中介关系，但在低权力职位的员工中则不然。讨论集中在这些发现对亲社会性、权力和社会行为研究的意义。
