Moral Development, Power & Control Theory, and Political Leaders
The topic to be examined in the proposed dissertation is that people who exercise power and control tend to be operating at the lowest stages of moral development. Specifically, the focus of the dissertation will be on low-level exercisers of power, political officials or activists who serve in positions on city councils, community boards, or organizational boards.
To undertake a comprehensive review of literature related to the thesis statement and the specific focus of the study requires an examination of several distinct topics. First, an overview of moral development theory is required. Secondly, a thorough analysis of different theories and models of power and control is required, augmented by an exploration of how political power itself is derived and functions. Third, any possible linkages in the literature between power and control use and level of moral development must be identified. Finally, literature that is specific to the target population - i.e., low-level exercisors of power in elected and/or appointed government or organizational positions - must be considered; however, an extensive review of several different computerized databases revealed no journal entries or other articles specifically focused on the purported linkage between stage of moral development, exercise of power and/or control, and leaders/officials at this particular level. Thus, political leadership theory and action in this context will be addressed, leading to a research proposal that allows for empirical exploration of the purported relationships between the variables.
Generally, sociologists suggest that two alternative models of identifying how power and control in American society have been proposed. Power, as defined by Weber (1946) is the probability of realizing one's goals even against the opposition of others. At the societal level, from a functional persp...