Location
Suwanee, GA
Start Date
17-4-2026 12:00 PM
End Date
17-4-2026 1:00 PM
Description
INTRODUCTION: The approach–inhibition theory of power proposes that perceived social power changes how people tend to process information by increasing approach tendencies (such as reward pursuit and automatic cognition) while decreasing inhibition tendencies (such as threat monitoring and controlled processing). These changes can thereby influence a person’s emotions, thinking, and behavior (Keltner, Gruenfeld, & Anderson, 2003). Extensive meta-analytic work in moral psychology shows that moral disengagement – where individuals justify or minimize harmful actions – is strongly linked to transgressive and antisocial behavior, and that both personal and environmental factors influence this relationship (Luo & Bussey, 2023). This suggests that cognitive mechanisms behind moral disengagement are affected by situational and individual differences, which may potentially include power dynamics. Although many studies have examined how power influences cognition and behavior in a broader manner, the extent to which elevated power specifically reduces moral inhibition and increases risk-taking or unethical behavior has not been systematically linked to one another, which is what this review aims to address.
METHODS: This narrative review evaluates the extent to which empirical evidence supports the approach–inhibition theory as a framework for understanding how perceived social power may reduce moral inhibition and, under certain conditions, increase morally relevant risk-taking or unethical behavior. A structured literature search was conducted using PubMed and PsycINFO with terms including “approach–inhibition theory,” “perceived power,” “disinhibition,” “impulsivity,” “risk-taking,” and “moral disengagement.” Studies from the past decade that examined either experimentally created or self-reported social power and its relationship to behavioral or cognitive results related to disinhibition were included in this review.
RESULTS: Empirical work indicates that elevated power is associated with increased behavioral approach tendencies and decreased controlled cognitive responses, consistent with core predictions of the approach–inhibition theory (Cho, DeCelles, & Flynn, 2020). Individuals who experience greater power often show increased confidence, greater willingness to take risks, and reduced awareness of social expectations. However, there is currently limited research directly linking perceived power to moral inhibition processes. Much of the existing evidence instead comes from digital domains, such as online disinhibition and moral disengagement in a cyber context, rather than traditional experimental studies that directly manipulate power. (Sánchez-Hernández et al., 2024).
CONCLUSION: Based on the current literature, we expect to find partial support for the idea that power may reduce moral inhibition by increasing reward focus and behavioral activation. However, these effects are likely influenced by contextual variables, such as social norms, as well as individual traits, such as baseline self-control. These contextual factors may dictate the types of situations in which elevated power leads to ethically consequential outcomes compared to situations where it doesn’t. By synthesizing empirical evidence on power, behavioral disinhibition, and moral cognition, this review aims to evaluate whether the approach–inhibition theory provides a useful framework for understanding the relationship between perceived power, moral inhibition, and morally relevant risk-taking, while also identifying important gaps for future research.
Embargo Period
5-29-2026
Included in
Social Power, Moral Inhibition, and Risk-Taking: A Theory-Driven Review of the Approach–Inhibition Framework
Suwanee, GA
INTRODUCTION: The approach–inhibition theory of power proposes that perceived social power changes how people tend to process information by increasing approach tendencies (such as reward pursuit and automatic cognition) while decreasing inhibition tendencies (such as threat monitoring and controlled processing). These changes can thereby influence a person’s emotions, thinking, and behavior (Keltner, Gruenfeld, & Anderson, 2003). Extensive meta-analytic work in moral psychology shows that moral disengagement – where individuals justify or minimize harmful actions – is strongly linked to transgressive and antisocial behavior, and that both personal and environmental factors influence this relationship (Luo & Bussey, 2023). This suggests that cognitive mechanisms behind moral disengagement are affected by situational and individual differences, which may potentially include power dynamics. Although many studies have examined how power influences cognition and behavior in a broader manner, the extent to which elevated power specifically reduces moral inhibition and increases risk-taking or unethical behavior has not been systematically linked to one another, which is what this review aims to address.
METHODS: This narrative review evaluates the extent to which empirical evidence supports the approach–inhibition theory as a framework for understanding how perceived social power may reduce moral inhibition and, under certain conditions, increase morally relevant risk-taking or unethical behavior. A structured literature search was conducted using PubMed and PsycINFO with terms including “approach–inhibition theory,” “perceived power,” “disinhibition,” “impulsivity,” “risk-taking,” and “moral disengagement.” Studies from the past decade that examined either experimentally created or self-reported social power and its relationship to behavioral or cognitive results related to disinhibition were included in this review.
RESULTS: Empirical work indicates that elevated power is associated with increased behavioral approach tendencies and decreased controlled cognitive responses, consistent with core predictions of the approach–inhibition theory (Cho, DeCelles, & Flynn, 2020). Individuals who experience greater power often show increased confidence, greater willingness to take risks, and reduced awareness of social expectations. However, there is currently limited research directly linking perceived power to moral inhibition processes. Much of the existing evidence instead comes from digital domains, such as online disinhibition and moral disengagement in a cyber context, rather than traditional experimental studies that directly manipulate power. (Sánchez-Hernández et al., 2024).
CONCLUSION: Based on the current literature, we expect to find partial support for the idea that power may reduce moral inhibition by increasing reward focus and behavioral activation. However, these effects are likely influenced by contextual variables, such as social norms, as well as individual traits, such as baseline self-control. These contextual factors may dictate the types of situations in which elevated power leads to ethically consequential outcomes compared to situations where it doesn’t. By synthesizing empirical evidence on power, behavioral disinhibition, and moral cognition, this review aims to evaluate whether the approach–inhibition theory provides a useful framework for understanding the relationship between perceived power, moral inhibition, and morally relevant risk-taking, while also identifying important gaps for future research.