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Organizational life is bounded by myths and symbols that affect the individual's behavior in mysterious ways. This paper examines the imagery of masters and slaves as a guide to the psychological dynamics of authority relationships in modern organizations. The master-slave relationship is related to the symbolic quest for immortality, and is analyzedfrom a historical and psychological perspective. Finally, its powerful imagery is connected to superior-subordinate relationships in modern organizations in order to demonstrate the continuing influence of the "irrational" in organizational life.
Robert B. Denhardt (Tue,) studied this question.