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From: laura@utcsstat.UUCP (Laura Creighton)
Newsgroups: net.politics
Subject: Re: Power corrupts?  A note.
Message-ID: <1599@utcsstat.UUCP>
Date: Sat, 31-Dec-83 16:17:48 EST
Article-I.D.: utcsstat.1599
Posted: Sat Dec 31 16:17:48 1983
Date-Received: Sat, 31-Dec-83 19:30:09 EST
References: <219@wu1.UUCP>
Organization: U. of Toronto, Canada
Lines: 25

I believe that power does corrupt. At least I have seen instances of this at
the office level. one of the problems that i have identified is that people
mistake power for security. Thus insecure people go after power thinking
that it will make them more secure. Unfortunately, security does not
seem to be related to power; rather it is related to ones self-image.

Thus when you take an insecure person and give him power you just get a
powerful insecure person, unless you do something which coincidentally
improves his disposition. Powerful people have more to lose, thus they
have more to be insecure about. If they believed that power equals
security before, they are not likely to rexamine their beliefs, and 
instead will conclude that they need more power.  itching causes
scratching...

There is an extra twist which makes this worse. If you take a secure
person and put him under a lot of strain he may become insecure. Thus
the responsibilities of power can take an originally secure person
and make them into the sort of person that makes a lousy president of
a company.

This has happened to 3 firms where friends of mine work. It is quite
depressing.

Laura Creighton
utzoo!utcsstat!laura