Does power inevitably corrupt the powerful - Essay Example

From this perspective it could be argued that the simple ability to control others is by its nature a corruption of other peoples will and as such, power is inherently corruptible. However in practice this may not be true. Ultimately it could be argued that power does often corrupt however it does not necessarily have to corrupt. There is little question that in many circumstances in history people have been greatly corrupted by power. According to Haddock (2006) there have been several examples in history of people exerting their power over others.

On one side of the spectrum one finds powerful men such as President Lyndon B. Johnson who would often hold meetings whilst he was sitting on the toilet (Demonstrating a kind of contempt over his coworkers) to a megalomaniac such as Joseph Stalin who killed millions. One issue regarding power that has arisen is the idea that people may be hardwired for egocentric power rather than simple institutional power. However it remains the case that many people do achieve a great deal of power yet do not necessarily have to demonstrate their egocentric power over others.

Many people who achieve professional success remain quite humble in their regular life. Bailey & Dash (2006) Highlighted that Billionaire Warren Buffett has lived in the same home in Omaha, Nebraska for over forty years. Moreover the billionaire remains committed to homespun values such as shunning executive payouts, avoiding investing in technology companies and frequently criticizing tax policies that benefit the rich. Having demonstrated that some powerful people do not necessarily exert egocentric power it is the case that according to haddock (2006) there are many people that do flex their ego muscles once they reach a certain level of power.

This may be achieved through taking childish liberties, through sexual dominance over weaker people or through making outlandish purchases. Ultimately stride to egocentric power can be manifested through any number of mechanisms. The question of how the exercise of egocentric power affects followers can cover a wide range, owing to the fact that people respond differently to different treatment. On one end of the spectrum people could respond very negatively to egocentric behavior, such as creating deep feelings of insecurity, negative self esteem issues etc.

However it could be argued that strong negative reinforcement from a leader could ultimately motivate the underlings to perform better. Anybody who has trained extensively for competitive sports would have likely experienced the effect of a trainer or coach shouting critiques and personal insults designed to motivate the trainee to do almost anything to win approval. However it could also be that people simply do not respond one way or the other and simply not strongly affected by egocentric behavior whatsoever.

The issue of whether or not a leader can do anything to help combat the effect of power corrupting it long and storied. According to Tertullian as espoused by Wehner (2009) it was a classical Roman tradition that generals would tour the streets after a military success (Much like the veterans parades today). However in the Roman tradition the Imperator (Equivalent to a commander) would be trailed by his servant who would be paid to whisper into the ear of his master “