Principlev1PR-1844
When holding more power in a relationship (formal authority…
When holding more power in a relationship (formal authority, financial control, social status, emotional leverage), bear disproportionate responsibility for creating safety through consistent deposits, as your withdrawals carry more weight and the less powerful person has fewer alternatives.
Why This Is a Principle
This principle derives from The mere presence of other people increases physiological… (social presence increases arousal), Humans have a deep, evolutionarily encoded need… (deep need for belonging), and Social rejection and anticipated social rejection activate… (social rejection activates pain regions). Keltner's power research shows asymmetric safety distribution. The principle prescribes differential responsibility based on power position - a derived behavioral guideline that follows from axioms about social threat and belonging needs. This is clearly not an axiom itself but guidance that follows from understanding power dynamics.