Is There a Connection Between Power Seeking and Corruptibility?

5min Snip

00:00

Play full episode

Summary

Transcript

Episode notes

The dark triad is narcissism, machavellianism and psychopathy. People who are narcisistic are highly attuned to what other people think of them. Between four and a hundred times more psychopaths are in positions of leadership than the general public. And i focus on them because i think it's important to understand that when they do emerge, even though most leaders are not psychopaths, they are particularly destructive.

All societies grant more power to some citizens, and there is always a temptation to use that power for the benefit of themselves rather than for the greater good. Power corrupts, we are told — but to what extent is that true? Would any of us, upon receiving great power, be tempted by corruption? Or are corruptible people drawn to accrue power? Brian Klaas has investigated these questions by looking at historical examples and by interviewing hundreds of people who have been in this position. He concludes that power can corrupt, but it doesn’t necessarily do so — we can construct safeguards to keep corruption to a minimum.

Support Mindscape on Patreon.

Brian Klaas received his D.Phil. in Politics from the University of Oxford. He is currently Associate Professor in Global Politics at University College London and a columnist for The Washington Post. His new book is Corruptible: Who Gets Power and How it Changes Us. He is host of the Power Corrupts podcast.