The paradoxical misuse of power by those who see themselves as powerless: How does it happen?

Consideration is given to the paradoxical misuse of power by those who perc eive themselves as powerless. A general model is presented to account for t he coercive response style often shown by adults with low perceived power w hen they are placed in a position of authority (e.g., as parents or teacher s). Specific hypotheses are tested here concerning control-oriented cogniti ve activity and speech patterns shown by "powerless" adults when their auth ority is challenged. Women with high or low perceived power (as measured by the Parent Attribution Test) attempted to teach a computer game to a respo nsive or unresponsive child. "Powerless" women showed high levels of contro l-oriented appraisal activity preceding reaching interactions and a high le vel of nonfluency during teaching interactions (an ineffective speech style ). It was concluded that the responses shown by "powerless" women set the s tage for misunderstanding and future conflict.