The dictionary says the following about it: “someone who takes a sick pleasure in displaying his power” and that clearly states what it is. Add to this the fact that power leaves you wanting more and you just have the chance of someone dangerous in your midst. Everyone has someone in their environment who, for whatever reason and at whatever level, is concerned with power.
Misunderstanding about power-hungry versus leader
It is sometimes incorrectly stated that leaders are by definition concerned with power, but the real leaders are not that concerned with it. Natural leadership has nothing to do with what the power-hungry stands for. The natural leader quickly has followers, but this has to do with the natural behavior of the man and woman in question and the fact that people are herd animals. Often natural leaders do not even notice it at first and it can emerge at a very young age.
In men or women who do have the hunger for power, this is innate. Where power also tastes like more and can therefore degenerate into the lust for power as we know it on a large scale from the history books. But which can also be found on a smaller scale at the local company. There are power-hungry people at every level.
Advantages and disadvantages of power
Focus
It is true that having power, even if you don’t think about it often, provides focus. This is more of a chemical process. Testosterone increases the concentration of dopamine in the brain. This makes you more decisive and gives you more motivation. A disadvantage can be seen that you are less aware of or alert to risks.
You can overcome this by forming a good team of people around you. The natural leader will also do this and therefore also forms a group of people around him who dare to push back. The power-hungry is the man or woman who seeks power and does not like to be contradicted. If this man or woman tolerates people around them, chances are they are yes-men. There will be no balance in such a team.
Eroticizing
What is also hidden in power is the erotic aspect of the man or woman with power. The group of women, and to a slightly lesser extent men, who fall for the man or woman with power is relatively large. Which also has an effect on the person in question. Not infrequently, the man or woman with power crosses the (sexual) line. A reasonable person then realizes that he/she could have seen this coming. However, the man or woman with power can also cross boundaries here and think they can get away with it, precisely because of that power. One can start to exhibit a kind of untouchable behavior.
The other side of the spectrum is the vulnerability that power, and the hunger for more, brings. However, during the moment of power, the power-hungry will not experience this this way.
Relaxation
Although you wouldn’t say it, power is relaxing. People generally become stressed by the chance of rejection from their fellow human beings (herd animals). If you are in a position where you have control over people and the fact that people accept that, then you can let go of that natural fear. This immediately entails the risk that the man or woman with power will not quickly notice grumbling people (who function under him/her). This is where the previously discussed untouchable weather can play a role and can even destroy an organization or people. The history books are also full of that.
What one person learns from it, the man or woman who is very consciously concerned with power, will unfortunately learn little from it. This means that there will always be new comparable situations.
Social
The power-hungry is hardly or not at all social. On the one hand, he or she thinks he can afford everything and on the other hand, the man or woman is very focused on themselves. Wanting more – where more does not just mean power – and that this is at the expense of fellow human beings, is accepted. So when other people are in bad times, the power-hungry will not easily rush to help. This, unless the weather is good for his/her role as ruler.
In conclusion
Power can produce a lot of good, but power is often abused for the simple reason that there are few competent natural leaders and few people who can form a competent team around a leader. Yet power games take place at all levels and, especially if the status is not too high, which is seen as important, a power game can be committed at one’s own level. Think of the man or woman behind the municipal counter who shows that he/she holds sway there, the man or woman on the telephone when you need customer service from a company, and there are countless examples in your own environment. think up.
Going against it will only make the power-hungry want to display more power. Reacting calmly and trying to keep the conversation going will certainly not give the man or woman more nourishment. The power-hungry is not necessarily intelligent, but is alert to the environment.