22.5: Key Takeways

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Social power can be defined as the ability of a person to create conformity, even when the people being influenced may attempt to resist those changes.
Milgram’s studies on obedience demonstrated the remarkable extent to which the social situation and people with authority have the power to create obedience.
One of the most influential theories of power was developed by French and Raven, who identified five different types of power— reward power, coercive power, legitimate power, referent power, and expert power. The types vary in terms of whether their use is more likely to create public conformity or private acceptance.
Although power can be abused by those who have it, having power also creates some positive outcomes for individuals.
Leadership is determined by person variables, situational variables, and by the person-situation interaction. The contingency model of leadership effectiveness is an example of the latter.

EXERCISES AND CRITICAL THINKING

Write a paragraph that expresses your opinions about the Holocaust or about another example of obedience to authority. Consider how social psychological research on obedience informs your interpretation of the event.
Write a report on Dr. Philip Zimbardo’s book, The Lucifer Effect: Understanding How Good People Turn Evil, http://lucifereffect.com.
Provide an example of someone who has each of the types of power discussed in this section.
Consideraleaderwhomyouhaveworkedwithinthepast.What types of leadership did that person use? Were they effective?
Choose a recent event that involved a very effective leader or one that involved a very poor one. Analyze the leadership in terms of the topics discussed in this chapter.