Psychological Patterns of Power in the Entropy Age

Welcome back to PsyberSpace with Leslie Poston. In this fourth episode of a five-part series on living through the entropy age, we dig into the psychology of power in chaotic times. We explore how social dominance orientation, hoarding mindsets, and authoritarian tendencies allow some leaders to thrive amidst instability. We also discuss mechanisms of moral disengagement that turn harmful actions into perceived necessities, and the psychological costs of this behavior on society. This episode provides insights into how these patterns shape the behavior of power-holders and offer a lens to understand current socio-political dynamics. Join us next time as we conclude the series by exploring responses to entropy and how small forms of order and resistance persist.

00:00 Introduction to the Entropy Series
00:33 Recap of Previous Episodes
01:04 Exploring Power in Chaotic Conditions
02:06 Hoarding Power in Decaying Systems
05:17 Authoritarian Tendencies and Manufactured Order
08:40 Mechanisms of Moral Disengagement
11:46 The Psychological Costs of Power Hoarding
13:54 Conclusion and Looking Ahead

Resources:

Altemeyer, B. (1996). The authoritarian specter. Harvard University Press. 

Bandura, A. (1999). Moral disengagement in the perpetration of inhumanities. Personality and Social Psychology Review, 3(3), 193–209. 

Christl, M. E., Pham, K. T., Rosenthal, A., & DePrince, A. P. (2024). When institutions harm those who depend on them: A scoping review of institutional betrayal. Trauma, Violence, & Abuse. Advance online publication. 

Piff, P. K., Kraus, M. W., Côté, S., Cheng, B. H., & Keltner, D. (2010). Having less, giving more: The influence of social class on prosocial behavior. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 99(5), 771–784. 

Piff, P. K., Stancato, D. M., Côté, S., Mendoza-Denton, R., & Keltner, D. (2012). Higher social class predicts increased unethical behavior. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 109(11), 4086–4091. 

Pratto, F., Sidanius, J., Stallworth, L. M., & Malle, B. F. (1994). Social dominance orientation: A personality variable predicting social and political attitudes. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 67(4), 741–763. 

Sidanius, J., & Pratto, F. (1999). Social dominance: An intergroup theory of social hierarchy and oppression. Cambridge University Press. 

Smith, C. P., & Freyd, J. J. (2014). Institutional betrayal. American Psychologist, 69(6), 575–587. 

Stenner, K. (2005). The authoritarian dynamic. Cambridge University Press.