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Introduction
Power is a national or political expression of authority. By nature, it aims to establish positive societal regulations yet can cause negative outcomes in combination with abuse. As a rule, power exists in every layer of the social organization from the classroom environment to political parties. Power abuse is the use of official power in personal interests resulted in a violation of legally protected interests of citizens, organizations, or society. Although people understand that the authorities often abuse their power, the first is likely to follow the orders of the latter.
Why do people abuse their power?
According to Dubois, power lowers inhibitions and produces a higher-than-average self-focus (par. 5). Several studies confirmed the effects of power on the psychology of the individual. Feeling their power, people begin to think, experience, and even act not as those who consider themselves powerless. There are different cases in which a person tends to abuse his or her power including a large income, high positions, belonging to the privileged class, or just a wider choice in certain situations. Such people are more likely to lie and be rude. For example, the drivers of luxury cars rarely stop for pedestrians, and the members of the upper-income classes often lie and cheat during the negotiations for the sake of winning.
How does authority affect people around?
Leveillee states that human individuality is often subverted by the blind obedience humans feel towards those in a position of power (par. 1). Obedience is a fundamental basis of society. Let us consider the effects of authority power abuse on the example of an ambitious experiment initiated by Professor Philip Zimbardo on August 14, 1971, when several young men had to try on the role of guards and prisoners in jail that was artificially recreated at the Stanford University (Zimbardo 8).
The experiment is a psychological study of human responses to freedom restriction in conditions of prison life and the impact of the imposed social role on behavior. Initially, guards and prisoners had no difference from each other and were characterized as normal people. Experimenters observed their behavior, cognitive and emotional reactions, and the emerging system of relationships.
The experiment quickly got out of control. The guards behaved aggressively and mocked at prisoners, and, by the end, the latter showed rigorous emotional disturbance. If the first day went in a quiet atmosphere, the second day brought a rebellion. The guards voluntarily worked overtime and suppressed the rebellion without guidance from researchers, attacking prisoners with fire extinguishers. After this incident, the guards tried to divide prisoners and set them against each other distinguishing good and bad ones. These measures had a significant effect, and further large-scale disturbances occurred. The prison became dirty and gloomy. The right to wash was a privilege that could easily be denied. The guards forced some of bad prisoners to clean toilets, a tactic that is similar to that used in the United States prisons.
This experiment clearly shows power abuse occurred in ordinary people after they were given corresponding power. It proves the fact that it is important to understand the necessity to control power avoiding improper attitudes towards others. At that, the system of power is necessary for any society. Only a person living in isolation does not need to respond by obedience or disobedience to the authority of others. Obedience as a determinant of behavior is especially important in the modern world.
It is a mechanism of psychological coercion of the individual to act in a certain direction under specific circumstances. The tendency of people to obey the authority of the government connects them with the power system. The facts of history, as well as observations of everyday life, suggest that the subordination can be completely natural and even predominant attribute of ethical, moral, and appropriate behavior.
The experimental results demonstrate the sensitivity and obedience of people when there is a justifying ideology, supported by society and the state. Moreover, the results showed that the need for obedience to authority is rooted in peoples consciousness so deeply that the prisoners continued to follow the instructions despite the anguish and strong internal conflict. The Stanford experiment demonstrates that the authorities can have a strong influence on people and even control their behavior, causing them to commit inhumane acts and violence against others. This study shows the willingness and readiness of average adults to following the instructions of the authority.
Conclusion
In conclusion, it should be emphasized that the authorities having power over others can affect people negatively by abusing their power. In an attempt to investigate the nature of power and its effects, Zimbardo conducted the Stanford experiment and pointed out that obedience is inherent in people. This is the reason for the fact that the prisoners in his experiment followed all the orders of guards. In turn, the latter acted as real prison overseers and took the initiative in toughening the prisoners conditions. It was revealed that people having received power tend to change their way of thinking and opinion towards ethics.
Works Cited
Dubois, David. The Two Big Ways Power Transforms a Person. Harvard Business Review. Harvard Business Review. 2016. Web.
Leveillee, Nicholas. The Role of Obedience in Society. Inquiries. Inquiries. 2011. Web.
Zimbardo, Philip G. The Lucifer Effect: How Good People Turn Evil. London: Rider, 2011. Print.
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