Abstract:
The purpose of this research is to investigate the influence of power and legitimacy on social distance and the mediating role of self-sufficiency. One hundred and twenty-two participants were randomly assigned to different power- legitimacy conditions. Then, they were asked to complete a series of questionnaires accessing social distance and self-sufficiency.Results reveal that1. Power and legitimacy increased social distance (M = 52.16, SE = 1.14) compared to low power and legitimacy (M = 48.30, SE = 1.13), when the dominant-submissive personalities were controlled. The multiple comparison found that the difference of social distance between these two conditions was significant (p < .05).2. Low power and illegitimacy insignificant influence social distance. Although, when the dominant-submissive personalities were controlled, the results showed that low power and illegitimacy increased social distance (M = 51.10, SE = 1.13) compare to high power and illegitimacy (M = 49.65, SE = 1.12), the multiple comparison suggested that the difference of social distance between these two conditions was insignificant.3. Self sufficiency was not the mediator of the relation between power and social distance. However, legitimacy was the moderator of the relation between power and self-sufficiency (p < .05)