The Psychology Of Corruption

A Psychological Explanation Of Why Power Corrupts And Why We Shouldn’t Trust Politicians

Power tends to corrupt, and absolute power corrupts absolutely. This quote, coined by the late Lord Acton of Britain, is one that is beloved by Libertarians all around the country, and for good reason. In essence, it challenges the notion that any one person, regardless of their standing moral fiber, can handle power without allowing it to negatively influence them.

From a psychological perspective, this quote is quite a bit more meaningful than just some peppy maxim. It is also a quote that serves to reinforce the importance of Constitutional ideals when it comes to managing state power.

Researchers in the social sciences have spent years studying what drives human attitudes and behaviors. Their conclusions, though not without internal disagreement, have led to some very interesting findings that help give a scientific explanation for why power can and almost always will corrupt its wielder.

Self-identity theory, which is largely the result of Dr. Carl Roger's work, is a theory that posits people behave in ways that help affirm the image they have of themselves in their heads. In other words, people behave in ways that resemble the person they think they are.

This theory has been well-established by social science researchers over the last 100 years, however, it is not necessarily the full story. The reason for this is that there is another theory surrounding why we do what we do that has an equal or greater impact on our attitudes and behaviors.

This second theory is called social identity theory and it was developed by psychologist Henry Tajfel in the 1970s. Essentially, what this theory suggests is that a human's behavior is heavily influenced by what groups and/or social hierarchies that person is a part of, and that they will begin to behave in ways that align with how a member of their chosen group would behave. 

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In lay terms, when a person is part of a group their self-identity goes to battle with their social identity and as a result of this conflict their self-identity, quite often, will become enveloped and/or overtaken completely by the new group identity. 

Now what does this have to do with absolute power corrupting absolutely? Well, the way humans see themselves, or in other words their attitudes about themselves directly influence their behavior. But this attitude and behavior relationship works the other way as well.

In sales, there is a technique called the foot-in-the-door technique. This is where a salesperson pressures someone to make a small commitment while knowing it will likely lead them to make a larger commitment in the future.

Clothing stores are a perfect example of this technique. This is to say that clothing stores have fitting rooms, not because they want to ensure their customers are happy, but rather because they know that the science supports the idea that once people try on items, they are far more likely to purchase them. 

You see, when someone sees themselves in a piece of clothing their self-identity is influenced and they begin to see themselves as someone who would wear that item. So, the behavior of trying on the item influenced their attitude about themselves (i.e., I am a person who can pull off a leather jacket). As a result of this attitude change, that person is then much more likely going to engage in the follow-on behavior of purchasing the item they tried on, which they now see as something they would wear.

Another example of this attitude🡪behavior/behavior🡪attitude relationship is a non-political person trying to fit in with a group of people who are, among other things, politically active. When this person begins to see themselves as a member of this new group, they may go with them to a political event, such as a rally, because that is what a person who is in that group does. This behavior, according to social identity theory, will then likely alter their view of themselves and cause them to begin to see themselves as a political person themselves. 

As a result, the individual may then begin to engage in political activities all on their own because their self and social identities will soon begin to influence one another and merge until that individual, who was not originally political, starts to see themselves as explicitly political.

What does this have to do with power? 

Well, instead of a political rally, imagine this behavioral framework as it applies to politicians, like the president of the United States. What happens to that individual's psyche when they are given more power than any one person has ever had in all of human history?

It is nearly impossible for an individual to fight off the effects of their behavioral environment when a person is surrounded by people who will do whatever they wish, constantly told they are special, and given immense amounts of power.  That behavioral environment is almost always going to alter the way they perceive themselves in relation to everyone else. 

In other words, there is a high probability that their environment will begin to alter their self-view, thus causing their subsequent behaviors to follow suit (i.e., behaving like they are superior to or above the common man).

This psychological dilemma is precisely why Constitutional values are so important. Put plainly, human brains cannot handle absolute power without succumbing to it.

In conclusion, it is imperative that We the People always remember that no leader, regardless of their moral fiber or partisan alignment has the cognitive capacity to wield the power of a large, centralized government correctly. 

Therefore, the only way to prevent tyranny from taking hold in a nation as free as this one is to keep as our North Star, not any one politician, but rather the Constitution of the United States of America, which among other things, provides a legal and irrefutable record of the citizenry’s inherent power over the nation-state.

Alexander Oakes is a Marine Corps combat veteran who is currently pursuing his Ph.D. in clinical psychology at Arizona State University. He runs a weekly Libertarian news show called Nobodys News on Youtube and everywhere else podcasts are available. https://www.youtube.com/@nobodysnews