Psychology of Power, Status, & Inequality
PSYC 313
Spring 2023
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01
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Differences in power and status can be found in almost every society around the world. This course will provide an introduction to power and status by focusing on the theories and methods that contemporary psychologists use to understand these fundamental aspects of social life. First, we will explore who is more likely to gain power and status (e.g., personality characteristics of powerholders); the methods that people use to do so (e.g., asserting one's dominance or expertise); and the influence of power and status on basic psychological processes, such as attention, emotion, and perception. The second part of the course will review the potential consequences of power and status on various aspects of our lives, from decision-making and goal pursuit to interpersonal and intergroup relationships, as well as health and well-being. Throughout the course we will discuss not only how power and status dynamics give rise to inequality, but also how their effects may, in turn, be shaped by the degree of inequality in a given society. The course will involve lecture, discussion, and readings of relevant primary sources. |
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| Credit: 1 |
Gen Ed Area Dept:
NSM PSYC |
| Course Format: Lecture / Discussion | Grading Mode: Graded |
| Level: UGRD |
Prerequisites: PSYC105 |
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Fulfills a Major Requirement for: (PSYC) |
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Past Enrollment Probability: 90% or above |
| SECTION 01 |
Major Readings: Wesleyan RJ Julia Bookstore
FUNDAMENTALS OF POWER AND STATUS
Rucker, D. D., & Galinsky, A. D. (2017). Social power and social class: Conceptualization, consequences, and current challenges. Current Opinion in Psychology, 18, 26-30.
Who Gets to the Top? Personality correlates of Power and Status
Blog entry from ¿Darwinian Business¿: The rise and fall of the dominant leader. Retrieved from: https://darwinianbusiness.com/2019/04/08/the-rise-and-fall-of-the-dominant-leader/
Grosz, M. P., Leckelt, M., & Back, M. D. (2020). Personality predictors of social status attainment. Current Opinion in Psychology, 33, 52-56.
POWER & COGNITION
Yin, Y., & Smith, P. K. (2020). Power and cognitive functioning. Current Opinion in Psychology, 33, 95-99.
Shah, A. K., Mullainathan, S., & Shafir, E. (2012). Some consequences of having too little. Science, 338(6107), 682-685.
IMPLICATIONS: POWER & PRO-SOCIAL BEHAVIOR
Piff, P. K., & Robinson, A. R. (2017). Social class and prosocial behavior: Current evidence, caveats, and questions. Current Opinion in Psychology, 18, 6-10.
Côté, S., House, J., & Willer, R. (2015). High economic inequality leads higher-income individuals to be less generous. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 112(52), 15838-15843.
Scholl, A. (2020). Responsible power-holders: When and for what the powerful may assume responsibility. Current Opinion in Psychology, 33, 28-32.
IMPLICATIONS: POWER DYNAMICS IN HIGHER EDUCATION
Stephens, N. M., Townsend, S. S., & Dittmann, A. G. (2019). Social-class disparities in higher education and professional workplaces: The role of cultural mismatch. Current Directions in Psychological Science, 28(1), 67-73.
Walton, G. M., & Cohen, G. L. (2011). A brief social-belonging intervention improves academic and health outcomes of minority students. Science, 331(6023), 1447-1451.
IMPLICATIONS: MAINTAINING INEQUALITY
Kraus, M. W., & Tan, J. J. (2015). Americans overestimate social class mobility. Journal of Experimental Social Psychology, 58, 101-111.
Hackel, L. M., & Zaki, J. (2018). Propagation of economic inequality through reciprocity and reputation. Psychological Science, 29(4), 604-613.
Dietze, P., & Craig, M. A. (2021). Framing economic inequality and policy as group disadvantages (versus group advantages) spurs support for action. Nature Human Behaviour, 5(3), 349-360.
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Examinations and Assignments:
Students will be evaluated on the following:
Reading comprehension assignments submitted each week (2-4 questions intended to evaluate understanding of class materials)
On-line entries submitted each week where students pose questions about lecture/readings to the instructor (e.g. they may ask questions about aspects of readings they did not understand; enter their comments about certain ideas, studies, or examples we discuss in class, etc..)
Four case studies which consists of short writing assignments where they describe an instance/episode from the life of a ¿power-player¿ and explain their behavior through concepts and theories we have discussed in class
Final writing project ¿ In the past, this has typically been a short guide that students prepare in the form of a brochure. The guide should contain 5 key insights about power that every business leader, educator or student (student choose which) should be aware of. |
Additional Requirements and/or Comments:
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| Instructor(s): Imami,Ledina Times: .M.W.F. 09:50AM-10:40AM; Location: ALLB004; |
| Total Enrollment Limit: 15 | | SR major: 9 | JR major: 6 | | |
| Seats Available: 1 | GRAD: X | SR non-major: X | JR non-major: X | SO: X | FR: X |
| Drop/Add Enrollment Requests | | | | | |
| Total Submitted Requests: 1 | 1st Ranked: 0 | 2nd Ranked: 0 | 3rd Ranked: 0 | 4th Ranked: 0 | Unranked: 1 |
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