Abstract

This paper presents an Agentic-Communal Model of Power as a means to understand how power shapes and guides consumer behavior. We present theoretical arguments and review empirical data that reveal how the possession of power can produce a more agentic orientation within consumers, whereas the lack of power can produce a more communal orientation within consumers. As a consequence of either an increased agentic or communal orientation, psychological states of power and powerlessness affect a wide variety of consumer behaviors ranging from gift giving to persuasion to consumer misconduct. The Agentic-Communal Model of Power brings clarity to the full range of consumer behavior affected by power.

Citation

Rucker, Derek D., and Adam Galinsky. "The agentic-communal model of power: Implications for consumer behavior." Current Opinion in Psychology 10 (August 2016): 1-5.

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