Seeking structure in social organization: Compensatory control and the psychological advantages of hierarchy.

Abstract

Hierarchies are a ubiquitous form of human social organization. We hypothesized that 1 reason for the prevalence of hierarchies is that they offer structure and therefore satisfy the core motivational needs for order and control relative to less structured forms of social organization. This hypothesis is rooted in compensatory control theory, which posits that (a) individuals have a basic need to perceive the world as orderly and structured, and (b) personal and external sources of control are capable of satisfying this need because both serve the comforting belief that the world operates in an orderly fashion. Our first 2 studies confirmed that hierarchies were perceived as more structured and orderly relative to egalitarian arrangements (Study 1) and that working in a hierarchical workplace promotes a feeling of self-efficacy (Study 2). We threatened participants’ sense of personal control and measured perceptions of and preferences for hierarchy in 5 subsequent experiments. Participants who lacked control perceived more hierarchy occurring in ambiguous social situations (Study 3) and preferred hierarchy more strongly in workplace contexts (Studies 4–5). We also provide evidence that hierarchies are indeed appealing because of their structure: Preference for hierarchy was higher among individuals high in Personal Need for Structure and a control threat increased preference for hierarchy even among participants low in Personal Need for Structure (Study 5). Framing a hierarchy as unstructured reversed the effect of control threat on hierarchy (Study 6). Finally, hierarchy-enhancing jobs were more appealing after control threat, even when they were low in power and status (Study 7).

Loss of control stimulates approach motivation

“…When one lacks power, it is still the case that "things are under control", insofar as there is another person in charge. Such a perspective is consistent with emerging research demonstrating that loss of control causes people to crave social hierarchy, even if they are at the bottom of that hierarchy (Friesen, Kay, Eibach, & Galinsky, 2014). The knowledge that someone else is in control may circumvent the motivational system that responds with such fervor when control is deprived in a purely personal context.…”

Status, power, and intergroup relations: the personal is the societal

“…Ironically, individuals’ need for order and control, and their system-justifying ideologies, can combine with status stereotypes to reinforce inequality as desirable and legitimate (38, 39). The resulting cycle in which inequality strengthens status stereotypes, and status stereotypes legitimize inequality, seems hard to break.…”

How norm violations shape social hierarchies: Those who stand on top block norm violators from rising up

“…Individuals who follow or embody the norms of a group are considered more committed to the group's ideals and thereby more trustworthy (D. van Knippenberg, 2011). Furthermore, norms, like hierarchy itself, create a clear and well-defined paradigm of behavior, which reduces uncertainty (Friesen, Kay, Eibach, & Galinsky, 2014). Given that uncertainty reduction is a fundamental human motive, members who observe the rules should be viewed in a positive light and those who break the rules should be degraded (Hogg, 2000).…”