Building organization theory from first principles: The self- enhancement motive and understanding power and influence

摘要

To illustrate the process of building an integrated model from fundamental constructs by using the idea of self-enhancement to explore the phenomena of power and influence. Psychological process related to power and social influence (such as escalation of commitment, similarity attraction and in-group favoritism) are all logically derived from the self-enhancement idea, the desire to see oneself and one's actions in a positive light. The conceptual model can help one understand the anomalous behavior of individuals being willing to tolerate poor treatment at the hands of leaders.