Why people resort to coercion: the role of utility and legitimacy

This study focuses on why people may resort to coercive tactics. We tested the proposition that considerations of utility and legitimacy mediate effects of a powerholder's competence and reward structure on the use of coercion. Results showed that in general coercive tactics are employed less o...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:European journal of social psychology 2007-03, Vol.37 (2), p.276-287
Main Authors: van Knippenberg, Barbara, van Knippenberg, Daan, De Cremer, David
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Area studies
Behavior
Coercion
Decision making
European studies
Interpersonal interaction
Interpersonal Relations
Legitimacy
Power
Psychology
Social psychology
Social sciences
Strategies
Studies
Task Performance
Utility
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Summary:This study focuses on why people may resort to coercive tactics. We tested the proposition that considerations of utility and legitimacy mediate effects of a powerholder's competence and reward structure on the use of coercion. Results showed that in general coercive tactics are employed less often than softer tactics, that coercive tactics are used more by more competent individuals than by less competent individuals, and that coercive tactics are used more often when the revenues of task performance benefited the agent of power than when they benefited both agent and target or when they benefited the target solely. Results identified perceived utility and perceived legitimacy as mediators of the decision to coerce the other or not. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
ISSN:0046-2772
1099-0992
DOI:10.1002/ejsp.362