A new study by three American universities shows thatlow-status people in positions of great power tend to demean others. The work, which publishes the magazineJournal of Experimental Social Psychology, analyzes the relationship between the category and the level of authority of a job. The results of the investigation would explain why office workers may appear rude or even why guards at Abu Ghraib prison humiliated and tortured prisoners in Iraq.
The scientists conducted experiments with students who were randomly assigned a high category with the role of “idea producers” or a low category with the category of “worker”. Students were asked to select from a list of 10 activities for others to perform, some of them humiliating, such as saying, “Am I not valuable?” out loud, say “I’m filthy” or bark like a dog. There were also especially complex tasks, such as counting back from the number 500, adding seven numbers to each. Less humiliating activities included writing a short essay, clapping 50 times, doing five push-ups, and jumping 10 times on one leg.
The results revealed that “individuals in high-powered and low-status roles chose more humiliating activities for their partners“The subjects with high degrees of power and high status were, however, very pleasant with their peers.” Our findings indicate that the experience of having power without category, either as a member of the military or as a university student participating in An experiment can trigger behaviors that humiliate others ?, explains Nathanael Fast, professor at the Marshall School of Business at the University of Southern California (USA) and co-author of the work. Although Fast admits that it cannot be generalized since many people in that situation have an attentive demeanor towards others.
According to Fast, remedies to avoid these situations include managers in high positions telling people in high-powered and low-status positions “how important their roles are? Offering bonuses or promotions could also help,” Fast says.
The investigators believe that a clear example that corroborates their results is what happened in 2004, when low-ranking US soldiers physically and sexually abused prisoners in the Abu Ghraib jail in Iraq. “While it is true that the prison guards had power, it is equally true that their job duties gave them little or no respect and admiration in the eyes of others. They had power, but they lacked status.” And, although that does not justify them, “it would bethe combination of these two variables – high power and low status – which triggers destructive and humiliating behavior“conclude the authors.
