Need for Power

Definition

Need for power is defined as the desire to control or influence others. It is not necessarily associated with actually having power, but instead with the desire to have power. In 1933, Henry Murray defined a long list of what he considered to be basic human needs. These needs were seen as directing behavior, and people were assumed to vary by how important each need was to them as an individual. One of these needs was the need for power. Some of the early empirical work on need for power was done by David McClelland and David Winter, who refined the definition and developed methods of testing for people's level of need for power. Need for power (also called power motivation) was seen as one of the three fundamental social motives, along with need for achievement and need for affiliation.

Associated Behaviors

Needs for power can be expressed in behavior in many ways. One of these is the use of physical or psychological aggression to force others to comply with what one wants from them. One can also express the need for power through gaining a reputation as an important person. Other behaviors associated with high power motivation include trying to affect the emotions of others. This could be done by telling jokes, or by a musical or dramatic performance. Finally, need for power can be expressed through providing (often unsolicited) advice or help. The association of helping behavior with other expressions of power motivation is not intuitively obvious, but the diverse set of behaviors listed here have been tied together empirically. They are all forms of exerting power over others. This power is sometimes exercised for one's own direct benefit, but can also be done with the apparent goal of doing something good for another person.

Some behaviors that have been found to characterize those high in need for power include having a high level of physical fights or verbal arguments with others. Enjoyment of debating might be a characteristic of someone high in need for power. Those who express their power motivation in this way may be very uncomfortable when others see them as powerless or weak. For this reason, they may be seen as hostile or chronically angry. This type of expression of need for power is often seen in negative terms.

Another type of behavior associated with need for power that is more socially acceptable is taking leadership in group situations. Those high in need for power enjoy running an organization, making decisions, or being in charge of a group. They run for elected office. They define what they are doing as motivated by “service” or “duty,” but this labeling of their behavior may be a result of the fact that American society frowns on people openly saying they like to have power.

Gaining a reputation is another expression of power motivation. People may display their need for power [Page 614]by making sure their names are visible on their doors, writing letters that will be published, with their names identified, or doing other things that stand out and lead to other people knowing who they are. One way of building a reputation is to have possessions that are valued by others in the group. These prestige possessions might be particular types of clothing, or music, or any other objects that will impress others. When asked to remember members of a group at a later point, those high in power motivation are more often remembered than are those low in power motivation.

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