Announcement

Collapse

Psychology 101 Guidelines

Welcome to Tweb's couch. Please join us in discussing the joys of the human psyche. Watch in wonderment as the Tweb crowd has violent mood swings. help us understand what makes us tick.

Like everywhere else at Tweb our decorum rules apply.
See more
See less

Why do some people want power and fame?

Collapse
X
 
  • Filter
  • Time
  • Show
Clear All
new posts

  • #16
    Originally posted by Christianbookworm View Post
    And why am I not interested one bit in power or fame? It would be nice to have a bunch of money to give away, but that has problems also. I'd rather have access to a library filled with all the books that I'd want to read than to be famous or have a huge amount of power. Why do some people want that stuff anyway? Does it have to do with personality traits?
    Basic human needs are pretty much universal. How we go about meeting those needs varies by person. Some of it is personality, some of it is upbringing, and some of it is environment.

    Generally, people have a need to feel in control of the things that are happening to them. The extent of that need can vary by person. My wife has a significantly higher need than I do, for example. Environment and upbringing can reinforce or largely remove that need. People in low income families, suffer more often from illness, have been molested/abused/whatever, etc., could have some serious issues with control and therefore seek to exert that on others. That *doesn't* mean they succeed, but it may be something that shows up repeatedly in day to day interactions. I strongly suspect that a lot of the petty power struggles that show up everywhere are effectively people trying to meet that need for control. On the flip side, it could be possible for a person to become convinced that they'll never have control. If so, they'd be a lot less likely to exert their influence on others.

    It's possible that religious individuals have a lower need for personal control because of their belief in a higher power that has ultimate control. Not to pick on Christianity specifically, but there are a lot of platitudes (e.g., all things work out, let go and let god, etc) that can reinforce the idea that things are being handled. It's frequently reinforced. That said, the basic human need still exists. It could even be said that some believers use prayer in part as a way to influence things (to whatever extent that believe that's possible).

    Likewise, the desire for fame is effectively just a need to be recognized and feel wanted/needed/loved. Everyone wants to be noticed. A lot of us find it from friends and family. We see a constant stream of cries for attention in social media (how many likes do you have?). Seeking fame is just more of the same, albeit at a higher level. This too can be an upbringing thing. Maybe your parents were too busy, so you felt a constant need to get their attention however you could do it. Most people will strive to please their parents, even in areas where values don't overlap. How many people do you know that won't tell their parents or family something because they "don't want to disappoint them"?

    I'd expect there to be common denominators between people that seek lots of power and/or fame, but I'd be surprised if you can really lump them all together. Similar outcomes can be driven by very different needs, after all. I think anyone claiming specific disorders are at work should be able to point to actual manifestations of the symptoms. Narcissism, for example, entails specific traits that are far more involved than simply seeking power or fame.
    I'm not here anymore.

    Comment


    • #17
      Originally posted by Christianbookworm View Post
      Of course. The question is why are some people more prone to pride and greed than others? What personality traits may make one find that the pros outweigh the cons concerning power and fame? Would you rather be in a library full of all the books you ever wanted to read or have power and fame?
      Keep in mind that people have individual sets of values and different methods for determining how best to achieve their goals. What may be a pro to you might be a con to me. You might not want to handle responsibility, but another might not even consider it a burden beyond whatever they already carry. You might focus on the standards a leader should hold to while another focuses on the changes a leader has the potential to implement. Some people don't even like reading, let alone want to be in a library for any length of time.
      I'm not here anymore.

      Comment


      • #18
        Originally posted by Carrikature View Post
        Basic human needs are pretty much universal. How we go about meeting those needs varies by person. Some of it is personality, some of it is upbringing, and some of it is environment.

        Generally, people have a need to feel in control of the things that are happening to them. The extent of that need can vary by person. My wife has a significantly higher need than I do, for example. Environment and upbringing can reinforce or largely remove that need. People in low income families, suffer more often from illness, have been molested/abused/whatever, etc., could have some serious issues with control and therefore seek to exert that on others. That *doesn't* mean they succeed, but it may be something that shows up repeatedly in day to day interactions. I strongly suspect that a lot of the petty power struggles that show up everywhere are effectively people trying to meet that need for control. On the flip side, it could be possible for a person to become convinced that they'll never have control. If so, they'd be a lot less likely to exert their influence on others.

        It's possible that religious individuals have a lower need for personal control because of their belief in a higher power that has ultimate control. Not to pick on Christianity specifically, but there are a lot of platitudes (e.g., all things work out, let go and let god, etc) that can reinforce the idea that things are being handled. It's frequently reinforced. That said, the basic human need still exists. It could even be said that some believers use prayer in part as a way to influence things (to whatever extent that believe that's possible).

        Likewise, the desire for fame is effectively just a need to be recognized and feel wanted/needed/loved. Everyone wants to be noticed. A lot of us find it from friends and family. We see a constant stream of cries for attention in social media (how many likes do you have?). Seeking fame is just more of the same, albeit at a higher level. This too can be an upbringing thing. Maybe your parents were too busy, so you felt a constant need to get their attention however you could do it. Most people will strive to please their parents, even in areas where values don't overlap. How many people do you know that won't tell their parents or family something because they "don't want to disappoint them"?

        I'd expect there to be common denominators between people that seek lots of power and/or fame, but I'd be surprised if you can really lump them all together. Similar outcomes can be driven by very different needs, after all. I think anyone claiming specific disorders are at work should be able to point to actual manifestations of the symptoms. Narcissism, for example, entails specific traits that are far more involved than simply seeking power or fame.
        To a pathological extent.
        Micah 6:8 He has told you, O man, what is good; and what does the LORD require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?

        Comment


        • #19
          Originally posted by Jedidiah View Post
          To a pathological extent.
          Maybe you should write more than a single prepositional phrase...
          I'm not here anymore.

          Comment


          • #20
            Originally posted by Carrikature View Post
            Maybe you should write more than a single prepositional phrase...
            Basic human needs, as you mentioned, are pretty much universal.

            Generally, people have a need to feel in control of the things that are happening to them. There is a need to be wanted/needed/loved. The abnormal drive for power is a clear example of a pathological approach to fulfilling those needs. That is, in my opinion, the common factor in the drive for power among different people.
            Micah 6:8 He has told you, O man, what is good; and what does the LORD require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?

            Comment


            • #21
              Originally posted by Jedidiah View Post
              Basic human needs, as you mentioned, are pretty much universal.

              Generally, people have a need to feel in control of the things that are happening to them. There is a need to be wanted/needed/loved. The abnormal drive for power is a clear example of a pathological approach to fulfilling those needs. That is, in my opinion, the common factor in the drive for power among different people.
              I think we agree. I'd add that not all drives for power are necessarily pathological, but it's a pretty safe bet that notable examples in history probably were. I guess it depends on how free you are with 'pathological', but it has a fairly specific usage.
              I'm not here anymore.

              Comment


              • #22
                Originally posted by Carrikature View Post
                I think we agree. I'd add that not all drives for power are necessarily pathological, but it's a pretty safe bet that notable examples in history probably were. I guess it depends on how free you are with 'pathological', but it has a fairly specific usage.
                If someone misused power they would be pathological! Of course one would need to determine what counts as a misuse of power...
                If it weren't for the Resurrection of Jesus, we'd all be in DEEP TROUBLE!

                Comment


                • #23
                  Originally posted by Christianbookworm View Post
                  If someone misused power they would be pathological! Of course one would need to determine what counts as a misuse of power...
                  The usage of pathological actually has nothing to do with how it's being used. Consider pathological lying. Few people would argue that lying is good, but we reserve pathological liar for those that do so beyond any perceivable gain to the point we think there's an underlying mental issue or disease behind it. You could be using the power you've gained for good, but you can still be pathological in how you go about gaining more (however rarely those two overlap).
                  I'm not here anymore.

                  Comment


                  • #24
                    PATHOLOGICAL.jpg

                    Comment

                    Related Threads

                    Collapse

                    Topics Statistics Last Post
                    Started by Bill the Cat, 02-21-2024, 07:44 AM
                    73 responses
                    339 views
                    0 likes
                    Last Post Cerebrum123  
                    Working...
                    X