For many voters, and especially women voters, Donald Trump's presidential candidacy raises a central question loaded with fear: What happens if you give a person with a long history of abusing power even more power?
More than a dozen women have now alleged that Trump assaulted, groped, or harassed them. The majority said the incidents occurred in professional situations, where he clearly had the upper hand. The leaked Access Hollywood audiotape from 2005 made clear Trump believed his “star” status gave him special access to women's bodies, too. He was comfortable enough to brag about sexual assault while wearing a mic.
The question of whom we should grant political power to deeply matters because research in psychology finds power changes people. Power can have a corrupting effect. Power gives people confidence to indulge in their base urges. It makes us less empathetic, more likely to see our own success in a positive light and harshly condemn failures in others.
