Feeling depleted and powerless: the construal-level mechanism

Personality & Social Psychology Bulletin
Junha KimTuvana Rua

Abstract

Individuals exercise self-control daily to achieve desired goals; at the same time, people engage in social interaction daily and influence (feel powerful) or are influenced (feel powerless) by others. Does controlling the self have an unforeseen consequence for people's perception of their capacity to control others? Five studies-one correlational and four experimental-demonstrate that ego depletion from prior self-control determines one's personal sense of power; low-level, concrete mental construals account for this relationship. Our results showed that people with higher trait self-control reported a greater sense of power (Study 1). People who had depleted their self-control-related regulatory resources (vs. those who had not) experienced a lower sense of power (Study 2). The relationship between ego depletion and low sense of power was mediated by construal level (Study 3) and observed only when low-level, concrete construals were present, but not under high-level, abstract construals (Studies 4 and 5).

References

Jul 1, 1987·Journal of Personality and Social Psychology·D M WegnerT L White
Apr 2, 1998·Journal of Personality and Social Psychology·M MuravenR F Baumeister
May 26, 1998·Journal of Personality and Social Psychology·R F BaumeisterD M Tice
Apr 10, 1999·Psychological Review·J Metcalfe, W Mischel
Apr 5, 2000·Psychological Bulletin·M Muraven, R F Baumeister
Mar 29, 2001·Psychological Science·K D Vohs, T F Heatherton
Sep 14, 2001·Journal of Personality and Social Psychology·J Förster, N Liberman
Jun 25, 2002·Psychology of Addictive Behaviors : Journal of the Society of Psychologists in Addictive Behaviors·Mark MuravenKristen Nienhaus
May 16, 2003·Psychological Review·Dacher KeltnerCameron Anderson
Jul 30, 2003·Psychological Review·Yaacov Trope, Nira Liberman
Jan 1, 1959·Journal of Abnormal Psychology·E J MURRAY, M COHEN
Mar 16, 2004·Journal of Personality·June P TangneyAngie Luzio Boone
Aug 11, 2004·Journal of Personality and Social Psychology·Jens FörsterNira Liberman
Apr 6, 2006·Journal of Personality and Social Psychology·Kentaro FujitaMaya Levin-Sagi
May 3, 2006·Journal of Personality and Social Psychology·Pamela K Smith, Yaacov Trope
Jan 5, 2007·Psychological Science·Adam D GalinskyDeborah H Gruenfeld
Jan 30, 2007·Personality & Social Psychology Bulletin·Joe C MageeDeborah H Gruenfeld
May 16, 2007·Journal of Experimental Psychology. General·Brandon J Schmeichel
May 10, 2008·Psychological Science·Pamela K SmithWilco W van Dijk
Jul 9, 2008·Journal of Personality and Social Psychology·Deborah H GruenfeldAdam D Galinsky
Aug 14, 2008·Behavior Research Methods·Kristopher J Preacher, Andrew F Hayes
Sep 24, 2008·Journal of Personality and Social Psychology·Cheryl J WakslakYaacov Trope
Nov 26, 2008·Journal of Personality and Social Psychology·Adam D GalinskyKatie A Liljenquist
Mar 4, 2009·Journal of Personality and Social Psychology·Serena ChenRodolfo Mendoza-Denton
Jul 29, 2009·Journal of Personality and Social Psychology·Joris Lammers, Diederik A Stapel
Jan 5, 2010·Journal of Experimental Social Psychology·Nicole L MeadDan Ariely
May 5, 2010·Psychological Review·Yaacov Trope, Nira Liberman
Jul 24, 2010·Journal of Personality and Social Psychology·Jon K Maner, Nicole L Mead
Mar 31, 2011·Journal of Personality·Cameron AndersonDacher Keltner
May 11, 2011·Psychology of Addictive Behaviors : Journal of the Society of Psychologists in Addictive Behaviors·Dikla Shmueli, Judith J Prochaska
Sep 1, 2011·Personality and Social Psychology Review : an Official Journal of the Society for Personality and Social Psychology, Inc·Denise T D de RidderRoy F Baumeister
Apr 18, 2012·Psychological Methods·Adam W Meade, S Bartholomew Craig
Jun 23, 2012·Psychological Science·Alison Ledgerwood, Shannon P Callahan
Jun 12, 2013·Journal of Personality·Wilhelm HofmannRoy F Baumeister
Jun 20, 2013·Psychological Science·Francesca RighettiEli J Finkel
Jan 1, 2011·Perspectives on Psychological Science : a Journal of the Association for Psychological Science·Michael BuhrmesterSamuel D Gosling
Sep 1, 2012·Perspectives on Psychological Science : a Journal of the Association for Psychological Science·Michael Inzlicht, Brandon J Schmeichel

❮ Previous
Next ❯

Citations

Mar 29, 2020·International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health·Song Liu, Hao Zhou

❮ Previous
Next ❯

Software Mentioned

Power
Mechanical Turk

Related Concepts

Trending Feeds

COVID-19

Coronaviruses encompass a large family of viruses that cause the common cold as well as more serious diseases, such as the ongoing outbreak of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19; formally known as 2019-nCoV). Coronaviruses can spread from animals to humans; symptoms include fever, cough, shortness of breath, and breathing difficulties; in more severe cases, infection can lead to death. This feed covers recent research on COVID-19.

Blastomycosis

Blastomycosis fungal infections spread through inhaling Blastomyces dermatitidis spores. Discover the latest research on blastomycosis fungal infections here.

Nuclear Pore Complex in ALS/FTD

Alterations in nucleocytoplasmic transport, controlled by the nuclear pore complex, may be involved in the pathomechanism underlying multiple neurodegenerative diseases including Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis and Frontotemporal Dementia. Here is the latest research on the nuclear pore complex in ALS and FTD.

Applications of Molecular Barcoding

The concept of molecular barcoding is that each original DNA or RNA molecule is attached to a unique sequence barcode. Sequence reads having different barcodes represent different original molecules, while sequence reads having the same barcode are results of PCR duplication from one original molecule. Discover the latest research on molecular barcoding here.

Chronic Fatigue Syndrome

Chronic fatigue syndrome is a disease characterized by unexplained disabling fatigue; the pathology of which is incompletely understood. Discover the latest research on chronic fatigue syndrome here.

Evolution of Pluripotency

Pluripotency refers to the ability of a cell to develop into three primary germ cell layers of the embryo. This feed focuses on the mechanisms that underlie the evolution of pluripotency. Here is the latest research.

Position Effect Variegation

Position Effect Variagation occurs when a gene is inactivated due to its positioning near heterochromatic regions within a chromosome. Discover the latest research on Position Effect Variagation here.

STING Receptor Agonists

Stimulator of IFN genes (STING) are a group of transmembrane proteins that are involved in the induction of type I interferon that is important in the innate immune response. The stimulation of STING has been an active area of research in the treatment of cancer and infectious diseases. Here is the latest research on STING receptor agonists.

Microbicide

Microbicides are products that can be applied to vaginal or rectal mucosal surfaces with the goal of preventing, or at least significantly reducing, the transmission of sexually transmitted infections. Here is the latest research on microbicides.

Related Papers

Journal of Personality and Social Psychology
A L FreitasN Liberman
Journal of Personality and Social Psychology
Michael L SlepianNalini Ambady
© 2022 Meta ULC. All rights reserved