POWER MOTIVATION AND THE POLITICAL PERSONALITY.

The article presents information on power motivation and the political personality. The common assumption, reflected in many political biographies and in popular writing, is that the quest for power propels many into politics and is a most likely explanation for much of the politician's activity. The political man accentuates power, demands power for the self, accentuates expectations concerning power, and acquires at least a minimum proficiency in the skills of power. Little empirical work has been done in the field, for valid measures of power motivation have not been available. In recent years however, psychologists have developed a projective test that taps power motivation as well as achievement and affiliative motivation. They have given the test to experimental groups, students, businessmen, and armed forces personnel, and to a nationwide sample. One of the developers of the test has used it to expound a unique psychological theory of economic development. This paper applies the test for the first time to politicians. Simply being a politician does not entail a distinctive concern for power, or for achievement or affiliation. For the communities studied our data show that businessmen in local politics do not differ in motivation from politically inactive businessmen. However, patterns of political and nonpolitical opportunities in different communities, and the distribution of opportunities among political offices, are related to the motivational make-up of officeholders.