The relationship between perceived social power and the perception of being influenced

Abstract

Social power is an important attribute of the influencing agent in an interpersonal influence situation. The present study investigated the structure of the influencing agent's social power as perceived by the influence target and the relationship between perceived social power and the perception of being influenced. The Perceived Social Power Scale (PSPS) was devised, and its reliability and validity were assessed to be moderately high. The social power model in Fig.2 was constructed on the basis of the shaping process of social power. It was hy- pothesized that the "primary power" containing reward, coercive and expert power had in- direct effects, as well as direct effects, on the perception of being influenced interactively through the "secondary power" which contained both legitimate and referent power. Path analyses were conducted on the basis of the model as a function of interpersonal relationships. The results supported the model and legitimate power had the largest effect on the perception of being influenced.