Human nature dictates that the more power one desires the more corrupt actions the individual is expected to do to attain that power. Self-interest, on the other hand, is a character where an individual is only concerned about their interest, advantage, and wellbeing. Combining self-interest and power develops a meaningful relationship with corruption as power tends to corrupt ( Bendahan et al., 2015) . Power is considered an arena enacting a game of zero-sum while attracting certain groups of people with selfish interests. Such people are considered to portray the highest character of self-interest. Thus, the process involved in developing a corrupt mind is understood from the sphere of power reflecting steps of self-selection of a corrupt individual who join the higher ranks ( Bendahan et al., 2015) .
Furthermore, it is not absolute to argue that power usually corrupts but only exposes an individual to an environment where they can show impulses that the weak can manage to restrain. Therefore, an individual’s mind is usually already embedded with corruption character so that given an opportunity power will serve as a factor that makes them put out their corrupt character in public (Resnick, 2013). The cognitive psychology of corruption offers better insight into the influence of personal gain, self-control, and power on the propensity of acting in a corrupt way ( Dupuy & Neset, 2018) . One major idea from the cognitive psychology of corruption is that people that hold power are more likely to be corrupt and that factors like personal gain and low self-control contribute to corruption ( Dupuy & Neset, 2018) .
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Another important point to note is that power tends to corrupt an individual's mind as they begin to think they are immune to criticism and sanctions. For instance, when one person feels powerful the others appear to be powerless as one usually judges the power of others relative to their own (Stillman, 2016). People who get in a position of power believe that they can be whoever they want to be such that one will less likely take into account the perspective of others (Resnick, 2013). Furthermore, the consequence of power is that it removes or reduces the awareness of constraints such that people in power usually think abstractly in favour of the bigger picture but have less regard to the consequences (Stillman, 2016). Such powerful people also tend to downplay risks associated with their actions while enjoying a higher level of dominance and low level of stress.
Most people want power because they want autonomy such that being in charge does not only offer an individual the opportunity to control others but also offers freedom. Additionally, having power has been associated with making an individual more susceptible to the feeling of being all-knowing and all-powerful. Having such a mindset is one of the key reasons people in power they cannot be criticized or sanctioned as they believe they are all-powerful.
Finally, it is not that powerful people are generally bad people. There is a tendency for people to think that those in power are cold and uncaring. However, the idea of corruption depends on the person that gets in the position of power. Thus, it is not that corruption is universal as some people use their power justly for good without corruption or abuse and self-serving interest. For example, if an individual in power has reliable access to the divine guidance that is reliably moral then such an individual will act in a way that makes the world a better place. Such people exercise restraint and usually decide only for the good and make common cause with others.
Some great leaders have found ways of ensuring power does not corrupt their mind and push them into actions like corruption. However, research has shown that the qualities that elevate people into powerful positions are usually subject to being replaced by unethical acts which explain the power paradox. For instance, good qualities usually pave the way for unethical behaviour when an individual is in a position of power. The best way to avoid letting power control an individual involves constantly checking one's behaviour and fixing problematic conduct. Thus, an individual who understands the principles of leadership can learn and exercise then as they grow up the chain of power and end up leading ethically and restraining from certain activities like corruption.
References
Bendahan, S., Zehnder, C., Pralong, F. P., & Antonakis, J. (2015). Leader corruption depends on power and testosterone. The Leadership Quarterly , 26 (2), 101-122.
Dupuy, K., & Neset, S. (2018). The cognitive psychology of corruption. Micro-level Explanations for Unethical Behavior, U4 , (2018), 2.
Resnick, B. (2013). How Power Corrupts the Mind [Blog]. Retrieved 18 March 2020, from https://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2013/07/how-power-corrupts-the-mind/277638/.
Stillman, J. (2016). Science: Powerful People Really Do Think Differently From the Rest of Us [Blog]. Retrieved 18 March 2020, from https://www.inc.com/jessica-stillman/science-powerful-people-really-do-think-differently-than-the-rest-of-us.html
