Breaching the contract: Aggressive interpersonal behaviors in paternalistic relationships

The study examined student evaluations (N = 221) of frequency and impact of negative interpersonal behaviors by academic faculty and other students. As expected, negative behaviors by faculty was rated as less frequent but as more upsetting than those carried out by fellow students. The impact of such behaviors was not affected by the setting in which they occurred. However, students with a strong power motivation perceived negative behaviors by faculty as more upsetting than did students with a weak power motivation. The findings highlight the importance of covert restrictions on the exploitation of the potential power intrinsic in paternalistic relationships.