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“An excellent reference source for those seeking a comprehensive survey of the latest literature on the topic. Recommended. Upper-division undergraduates through faculty and professionals.”

—Choice


“Quite possibly the single most indispensable work on the dynamics of power. Approaching the problem of power from the vantage points of diverse theories, the contributors illuminate the workings of power—how it is understood in the minds of those with and without power, how it guides the actions of individuals and groups, and how it is woven into the fabric of society. A 'must read' for students and scholars alike, this book makes clear why, as Bertrand Russell observed many years ago, power is the fundamental concept of social science.”

—Mark Snyder, PhD, McKnight Presidential Chair in Psychology and Director, Center for the Study of the Individual and Society, University of Minnesota


“Guinote and Vescio have assembled a distinguished collection of scholars to offer a current and comprehensive analysis. The volume sheds new light on a traditionally central topic in psychology. The quality of the chapters is excellent, and collectively the volume provides new theoretical perspectives and insights. This well-structured volume will make a significant and lasting contribution.”

—John F. Dovidio, PhD, Department of Psychology, Yale University


“This volume takes theory and research on power a huge step forward. Coverage ranges from basic mechanisms and conceptual issues to consequences of power. It spans multiple levels of analysis, looking at how power is implicated in social perception, social interaction, and intergroup relations. This book synthesizes research in the field to date and will define the study of power in social psychology for years to come.”

—Miles Hewstone, PhD, Department of Experimental Psychology, University of Oxford, United Kingdom

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Table of Contents

Introduction: Power in Social Psychology, Ana Guinote and Theresa K. Vescio

I. Concepts, Theoretical Perspectives, and Basic Mechanisms

1. Concepts and Historical Perspectives on Power, Jennifer R. Overbeck

2. The Emergence of Simple and Complex Power Structures through Social Niche Construction, Christopher Boehm and Jessica C. Flack

3. Dominance and Health: The Role of Social Rank in Physiology and Illness, Jacqueline J. Rivers and Robert A. Josephs

4. Power in the Person: Exploring the Motivational Underground of Power, David G. Winter

5. The Situated Focus Theory of Power, Ana Guinote

II. Power in Interaction: The Negotiation of a Shared Reality

6. Paradoxes of Power: Dynamics of the Acquisition, Experience, and Social Regulation of Social Power, Dacher Keltner, Deborah Gruenfeld, Adam Galinsky, and Michael W. Kraus

7. Paradoxical Power Manifestations: Power Assertion by the Subjectively Powerless, Daphne Blunt Bugental

8. Power and Social Perception, Ann Marie Russell and Susan T. Fiske

9. Legitimacy, Social Identity, and Power, Russell Spears, Ronni Greenwood, Soledad de Lemus, and Joseph Sweetman

10. Power as Charismatic Leadership: A Significant Opportunity (and a Modest Proposal) for Social Psychology Research, Francis J. Flynn

III. Power in Intergroup Relations

11. The System Justification Motive and the Maintenance of Social Power, Aaron C. Kay, Jillian Chalmers Banfield, and Kristin Laurin

12. Power and Racism, P. J. Henry and Felicia Pratto

13. Power and Sexism, Theresa K. Vescio, Kristine A. Schlenker, and Joshua G. Lenes

14. Immigration and Power, Kay Deaux and Nida Bikmen

15. Social Class and Power, Heather E. Bullock and Bernice Lott

16. Power: New Understandings and Future Directions, Theresa K. Vescio and Ana Guinote

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About the Editors

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.

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Contributors

Jillian Chalmers Banfield, BA, Psychology Department, University of Waterloo, Waterloo, Ontario, Canada

Nida Bikmen, PhD, Department of Psychology, Denison University, Granville, Ohio

Christopher Boehm, PhD, Department of Anthropology, Von KleinSmid Center, Los Angeles, California

Daphne Blunt Bugental, PhD, Department of Psychology, University of California, Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, California

Heather E. Bullock, PhD, Department of Psychology, University of California, Santa Cruz, Santa Cruz, California

Kay Deaux, PhD, Department of Psychology, City University of New York Graduate Center, New York, New York

Soledad de Lemus, PhD, Department of Social Psychology and Methodology of Behavioral Sciences, University of Granada, Spain

Susan T. Fiske, PhD, Psychology Department, Princeton University, Princeton, New Jersey

Jessica C. Flack, PhD, Santa Fe Institute, Santa Fe, New Mexico

Francis J. Flynn, PhD, Graduate School of Business, Stanford University, Stanford, California

Adam Galinsky, PhD, Kellogg School of Management, Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois

Ronni Greenwood, PhD, Psychology Department, University of Limerick, Limerick, Ireland

Deborah Gruenfeld, PhD, Stanford Graduate School of Business, Stanford University, Stanford, California

Ana Guinote, PhD, Department of Psychology, University College London, London, United Kingdom

P. J. Henry, PhD, Department of Psychology, New York University—Abu Dhabi, New York, New York

Robert A. Josephs, PhD, Department of Psychology, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas

Aaron C. Kay, PhD, Psychology Department, University of Waterloo, Waterloo, Ontario, Canada

Dacher Keltner, PhD, Psychology Department, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, California

Michael W. Kraus, MA, Department of Psychology, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, California

Kristin Laurin, BA, Psychology Department, University of Waterloo, Waterloo, Ontario, Canada

Joshua G. Lenes, BA, Department of Psychology, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, Pennsylvania

Bernice Lott, PhD, Department of Psychology, University of Rhode Island, Kingston, Rhode Island

Jennifer R. Overbeck, PhD, Department of Management and Organization, Marshall School of Business, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, California

Felicia Pratto, PhD, Department of Psychology, University of Connecticut, Storrs, Connecticut

Jacqueline J. Rivers, BA, Department of Psychology, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas

Ann Marie Russell, MA, Department of Psychology, Princeton University, Princeton, New Jersey

Kristine A. Schlenker, BA, Department of Psychology, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, Pennsylvania

Russell Spears, PhD, School of Psychology, Cardiff University, Cardiff, Wales, United Kingdom

Joseph Sweetman, BSc, School of Psychology, Cardiff University, Cardiff, Wales, United Kingdom

Theresa K. Vescio, PhD, Department of Psychology, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, Pennsylvania

David G. Winter, PhD, Department of Psychology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan

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Audience

Social and personality psychologists.

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Course Use

May serve as a supplemental text in courses in the psychology of prejudice, psychology of gender, and psychology of ethnic and racial minorities.