| In this dissertation, I investigate two hypotheses about how people use action to make inferences about power. In the first hypothesis, I predict that targets who display more action-orientation will be perceived as having more social power than will less action-oriented targets. I propose this inference pattern is based on the pervasive beliefs that action implies personal agency and that agency is a natural response to possessing power. The second hypothesis is that people with a strong power motive will use these beliefs to shape their own behavior, displaying greater action-orientation than people with a weak power motive, because the goals of acquiring power and appearing powerful are more important to them. Consistent with Hypothesis 1, Study 1 finds that targets appear to have more power when they exhibit more implemental thinking as opposed to more deliberative thinking (cognitive action-orientation). The results of Studies 2 and 3 show that people attribute greater organizational power (i.e., greater control, less dependence, and higher hierarchical rank) to targets who take action toward a personal goal than to those who do not. Consistent with the proposed agency mechanism, Study 3 illustrates that when action appears to be determined by the situation rather than the actor, inferences of power are attenuated and that inferences of personal agency mediate inferences of social power. In support of Hypothesis 2, an archival analysis in Study 4 finds that U.S. presidents with a high power motive are more action-oriented than are low power motive presidents during their tenure in office. Study 5 investigates the relationship between power strivings and action-orientation in decision-making. Participants who had a greater fear of power showed more decisiveness and a greater tendency toward implementation than did those with less fear of power. These findings are related to social inference processes, particularly in hierarchical settings, the types of actions that satisfy a desire for power, and the reciprocal relationship between action and power. |
