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The Role Of Rudeness Plays On Power Acquisition Differs Through Individualistic And Collectivist Cultures Essay

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The purpose of this study is to investigate the role that rudeness plays in power acquisition differs in individualistic and collectivist cultures. Past studies have found that violating social norms increases the perceived power status of the violator in the eyes of others. However, studies have yet to examine if these perceptions would cause a rise in opportunities to acquire power, and how this varies across different cultures. To conduct this study, 5 groups of 10 participants, ranging in age from 25-35, will be asked to choose a leader for the group from two identical twin actors - one who violates social norms and one who follows them. Twin actors will be chosen as to eliminate any superficial power cues - such as height, age, gender and attractiveness which have been revealed in past research. This study will be replicated in four different cities with varying cultural orientations. I hypothesize that collectivist cultures will be less likely to choose a norm-violating individual as a leader when compared to individualistic cultures.

The famous proverb “power corrupts” has long served inspiration for studies investigating the factors that play into power acquisition. This study explores how power acquisition due to norm violation differs across cultures. I hypothesize that there is a positive correlation between the norm violation and power acquisition in individualist cultures and a negative correlation in collectivist cultures. Power dynamics exist to
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