Provide an oral summary of the article, The Power Paradox The Power ParadoxThe best leaders understand the needs and goals of the people theylead. They are careful thinkers who understand the challenges they face.They have the ability to make intelligent choices about how to addressthose challenges. Great leaders are also communicators. They canexplain both problems and solutions to people in a way that everyone canunderstand.These abilities are not common, and when we recognize them insomeone-in the business world or some other field-we are inspiredto say, "That's someone I can trust! That's someone I can follow!"Unfortunately, these abilities also tend to disappear once a person actuallytakes on a position of leadership.The British historian Lord Acton once said, “Power tends to corrupt, andabsolute power corrupts absolutely." Researchers are now finding scientificsupport for Acton's claim. Many studies have shown that power can leadpeople to act without thinking carefully about their decisions. It can alsolead people to ignore or misunderstand other people's feelings and desires.Researchers have created experiments to see how people react whenthey are given power. The people who were given power over others weremore likely to make risky choices, to act aggressively, to speak rudely, andto behave in ways that made others feel scared and uncomfortable. Theywere also more likely to tease their colleagues.This is why we call it the power paradox. Power is given to people whoshow an ability to understand, guide, and communicate with others. But,unfortunately, once they become leaders, their power has the potential tomake them rude and insensitive. In other words, what people respect andwant most from leaders is often what can be damaged when someone haspower.

Answered: Provide an oral summary of the article,…

Social Psychology (10th Edition)

10th Edition

ISBN:9780134641287

Author:Elliot Aronson, Timothy D. Wilson, Robin M. Akert, Samuel R. Sommers

Publisher:Elliot Aronson, Timothy D. Wilson, Robin M. Akert, Samuel R. Sommers

Chapter1: Introducing Social Psychology

Section: Chapter Questions

Problem 1RQ1

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Question

Provide an oral summary of the article, The Power Paradox

The Power Paradox
The best leaders understand the needs and goals of the people they
lead. They are careful thinkers who understand the challenges they face.
They have the ability to make intelligent choices about how to address
those challenges. Great leaders are also communicators. They can
explain both problems and solutions to people in a way that everyone can
understand.
These abilities are not common, and when we recognize them in
someone-in the business world or some other field-we are inspired
to say, "That's someone I can trust! That's someone I can follow!"
Unfortunately, these abilities also tend to disappear once a person actually
takes on a position of leadership.
The British historian Lord Acton once said, “Power tends to corrupt, and
absolute power corrupts absolutely." Researchers are now finding scientific
support for Acton's claim. Many studies have shown that power can lead
people to act without thinking carefully about their decisions. It can also
lead people to ignore or misunderstand other people's feelings and desires.
Researchers have created experiments to see how people react when
they are given power. The people who were given power over others were
more likely to make risky choices, to act aggressively, to speak rudely, and
to behave in ways that made others feel scared and uncomfortable. They
were also more likely to tease their colleagues.
This is why we call it the power paradox. Power is given to people who
show an ability to understand, guide, and communicate with others. But,
unfortunately, once they become leaders, their power has the potential to
make them rude and insensitive. In other words, what people respect and
want most from leaders is often what can be damaged when someone has
power.

Expert Solution

Sociology and Power

Sociology analyzes different systems in the world, both at the micro and macro levels, in order to understand their impact on the social systems and social life in the society that we inhabit. Consequently, power is a phenomenon that is of interest to sociologists since it has the ability to have an effect on other people, and the ability to impact or even shape the social world in different ways. Given this, let us dwell on the "The Power Paradox" further below.