The Approach-Inhibition Effect Of Power Sense Fit

Power is psychologically defined as the capability to influence others. The Approach-Inhibition Theory of Power indicated that power produced approach-inhibition effect on one's social cognition, affect, attention and behavior, embodying that high power perceivers (HPP) expressed much approach tendency, while low power perceivers (LPP) expressed much inhibiting tendency.The present study mainly focused on testing the approach-inhibition tendency of power on one hand, and investigated the power effect combined with person-environment fit on the other hand, which referred to the change of approach-inhibition effect of such kind of match between internally long-term power sense and externally short-term power sense brought by social roles. In study 1, we examined individuals' internal power sense and behavioral motivation to test the approach-inhibition effect of power. On the basis of study 1, we primed individuals' external power sense through a certain manipulation task, and investigated the change of approach-inhibition effect of such kind of P-E fit. Main conclusions were:(1) Internally HPP tended to increase approach-related social behavior, while internally LPP tended to increase inhibited behavior.(2) Compared with subjects with power sense fit, the subjects who had power sense misfit experienced more feeling of cognitive dissonance.(3) The power sense fit would enhance the effect of behavioral approach and inhibition tendency, which meant that the fit perceived by HPP resulted in stronger approach-related behavior, while the fit perceived by LPP resulted in stronger inhibited behavior. The misfit between internal and external power sense would weaken the approach-inhibition effect.(4) The experience of cognitive dissonance would function as the mediating factor in the effect of behavioral approach-inhibition caused by power sense fitness.In our country, most psychological researches of power were concerned with research reviews. This paper made a breakthrough of the empirical study in this field. The significance of the findings of this paper seemed that on one hand, the research of behavioral orientation caused by P-E fit of power sense improved self-understanding, helped doing social roles selection, and provided organizations with some reference to carry out a better person-job fit.