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The implicit power motive is one of the most researched motives in motivational
psychology—at least in adults. Children have rarely been subject to investigation and there
are virtually no results on behavioral and affective correlates of the implicit power motive in
children. As behavior and affect are important components of conceptual validation, the
empirical data in this dissertation focused on identifying three correlates, namely resource
control behavior (study 1), power stress (study 2), and persuasive behavior (study 3). In each
study, the implicit power motive was measured via the Picture Story Exercise, using an
adapted version for children. Children across samples were between 4 and 11 years old.
Results from study 1 and 2 showed that children’s power-related behavior corresponded with
evidence from adult samples: children with a high implicit power motive secure attractive
resources and show negative reactions to a thwarted attempt to exert influence. Study 3
contradicted existing evidence with adults in that children’s persuasive behavior was not
associated with nonverbal, but with verbal strategies of persuasion. Despite this inconsistency,
these results are, together with the validation of a child-friendly Picture Story Exercise
version, an important step into further investigating and confirming the concept of the implicit
power motive and how to measure it in children.