Felt Power Scale

What it measures

Measures the extent to which a person feels powerful at a specific point in time. The scale captures momentarily experienced feelings of power as a psychological state rather than as an enduring trait or social position. Intended for use in experimental contexts where power states are manipulated and a brief check of felt power is required.

Scale items

• Please indicate the extent to which you feel powerful.
• Please indicate the extent to which you feel mighty.
• Please indicate the extent to which you feel superior.

Full scale items shown. Always cite the original source when using this scale in research.

Usage notes & scoring

Developed by combining two items from Fischer et al. (2011) and adding a third item inspired by Rucker, Dubois & Galinsky (2011). Used as a manipulation check in a pretest (n = 61) and Study 3 (n = 405) in the context of packaging design and brand power research. Items are phrased as extent-of-feeling prompts rated on a 7-point scale anchored at 'not at all' (1) and 'to a great extent' (7). No formal structural validity testing was conducted; the scale's successful detection of the power manipulation in both samples provides evidence of predictive validity. This is a state measure and should not be used to assess enduring individual differences in power orientation or dominance.

Citation

Sundar, A., & Noseworthy, T.J. (2014). Place the logo high or low? Using conceptual metaphors of power in packaging design. Journal of Marketing, 78(5), 138-151.

Keywords