ABSTRACT

Power differences are a pervasive phenomenon of social life. Power has been considered to have different bases (French & Raven, 1959; Overbeck, 2010; Schmid Mast, 2010) and has been commonly defined as the capacity to influence and control others and to administer rewards and punishments (Fiske, 1993; Keltner, Gruenfeld, & Anderson, 2003; Turner, 2005). At an interpersonal level of analysis – which is the main focus of this chapter – social power changes how individuals think, feel, and act during their interactions with one or more partners (Anderson & Berdahl, 2002; Galinsky, Gruenfeld, & Magee, 2003; Guinote & Vescio, 2010; Schmid Mast, 2010). However, although considerable research has been performed on the effects of social power on behavioral and cognitive processes (Galinsky et al., 2003; Guinote, 2007a; P. K. Smith, Jostmann, Galinsky, & van Dijk, 2008; Willis, Rodríguez-Bailón, & Lupiáñez, 2011), its emotional consequences have been less explored and the existing literature shows less conclusive results.