The Social Psychology of Power

Addressing an issue of central concern in social life, this authoritative book examines how having or lacking power influences the way individuals and groups think, feel, and act. Leading international experts comprehensively review classic and contemporary research with an eye toward bridging gaps across theories and levels of analysis. Compelling topics include the evolutionary bases of power; its effects on physiological processes, cognitive abilities, and health; what sorts of people are given power; when, how, and whom power corrupts; and power dynamics in gender, social class, and ethnic relations. The integrative concluding chapter presents a cogent agenda for future research.

About the Author

Ana Guinote, PhD, is Associate Professor of Psychology at University College London, United Kingdom. Her research and publications focus on power, status, and minorities—in particular, how social asymmetries affect basic and high-order cognition, and how this in turn affects goal pursuit, social judgments, behavior variability, and responsiveness to situational affordances. Dr. Guinote is an Associate Editor of the British Journal of Social Psychology and serves on the Steering Committee of the European Social Cognition Network. Theresa K. Vescio, PhD, is Associate Professor of Psychology and Women’s Studies at The Pennsylvania State University. Her research and publications address the relation between power and the expression of sexism, racism, ageism, and heterosexism. Dr. Vescio is a recipient of the Gordon Allport Intergroup Relations Prize, awarded by the Society for the Psychological Study of Social Issues, Division 9 of the American Psychological Association. She is an Associate Editor of the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology: Interpersonal Relations and Group Processes and serves on the editorial boards of several other journals in the field.