The Motive of Power and Affiliation

Exercising power and authority on others is also a very strong learned motive. It as learnt by observing the powerful people enjoying benefits of various forms and hegemonies position overall. Power to control others is to get things done on order and find a number of people having submissive looks highly tempting to all.

This need may not be directly expressed and fulfilled and so seeks many ways to find satisfaction. There are some minimum sources through which people try to gain feeling of power, namely (1) the sources outside themselves, (2) the sources within themselves, (3) by having impact on others, and (4) as members of organizations, religious bodies or a particular cause.

Among the sources outside the individuals, the instance is of men who express power motivation may like to need stories about superb or heroic deeds and assimilate themselves to a leader or hero from whom they draw strength.

Those who enjoy feeling of power by sources within themselves may express power motivation by building up the body and by mastering the urges and impulses. As in possession of different things one feels extension of one’s self, a person may express power by gaining control over things collecting guns, fancy cards and objects of his interest. Thus he may feel proud of his possessions with a sense of power of control.

The people who seek satisfaction of power motive by having impact on others may argue with another person or engage in some kind of competition with another individual in order to have an impact, influence on the person. Loud and boisterous delivery of arguments is, Infact, an attempt to assert and to gratify the power motive.

By gaining some remarkable position in some organization one is actually after a kind of authority and power indirectly. He obviously gets importance in the given environment which provides him a sort of satisfaction of the need of power. A company manager may express power motivation through the organizational machinery. An army officer may gratify the power motive by exercising the chain of command. A politician may use the party apparatus to influence and overpower others.

Dominance, in one way or the other gives a kind of satisfaction to this need Women in general have less strong need for power than men. Women, when really in power, generally are said to exercise their power motivation in less assertive manner. They are often found expressing power as counselors, advisors or resource for other people and have impact and influence in this way.

The Motive of Affiliation

Which town do you belong to……….. Sialkot! Good, I belong to Sialkot too. We may question a nearby passenger while travelling. On a ‘favorable response we instantly develop affiliation and feel satisfied. We need company; friendship and belongingness ever time as we find security, esteem and power feelings in it. Affiliation actually refers to the need of the people to be with others, and others to be with them. Feeling of affiliation is experienced fully when reciprocated and only then the motive is really satisfied. Psychologists have been able to rank people according to the degree of their need to affiliate. The people ranking high on this need are motivated to seek the company of other and to maintain friendly relations with others.

This motive seems to be aroused by situations that offer opportunities or call for being with others. Situational tests have also revealed that the motive of affiliation is aroused by fear (Schechter, 159). Thus fear seems to be an important factor in the arousal of affiliation motive. Relationship between fear and affiliation starts in very childhood. Little children feel comfortable and secure in the company of elders.

John S Lam is an IT Instructor at Examskey. He is 70-680 Certified Professional. Take the benefit of our 200-120 material and assure your success. Check out our free demo of all certifications Exams.

Search Term :