Let me tell you the unbelievable story of Little Purple Riding Hood.

Little Purple Riding Hood was a beautiful girl in the village indeed, but she wanted more, she wanted to be the most beautiful girl in the world. In fact she believed that she was the most beautiful girl in the world.

When anyone praised her little purple cap, she would say she had bought it in one of the most fashionable shops.
Little Purple Riding Hood's mother baked some cakes and asked her to take them to her grandmother. "Do not go through the wood," she said. Despite her mothers' advise, she decides to go through the wood nonetheless. The wolf would not dare touch her...

As you know, she did meet the wolf and the following conversation ensued.
"Good day, little girl, " said the wolf.
"Pardon?" said an irritated Little Purple Riding Hood. "I am Little Purple Riding Hood and I am not just any little girl! I'm the most beautiful girl in the world."
"Yes, of course, I know." said the wolf.
"Well, " she replied, "if you knew, why didn't you say it?"
The big bad wolf was a bit unsettled and excused himself. They sat down and Little Purple Riding Hood made sure that the penetrating sunrays caught her best profile. The wolf was surely enraptured, she thought.

At times, when my companions see that I'm doing well, that I'm doing better than others, when I can feel their respect, hear their applause, then I feel good.

The Power dimension reflects the need to achieve success and status in life. People striving for the satisfaction of Power want to be respected, praised and acknowledged for the choices they make.
They are situated opposite from those striving to belong and want to climb to unprecendented and solitary heights.

Psychologically, this is all about imitating leadership and acquiring self-esteem through imitative or mirror behavior. In a sense, this is the ape in man.

Traditionally, purple was and still is the colour of power. Ecclesiastical dignitaries such as bishops and judges still wear purple, as did emperors and kings. Bishops first achieved 'imperial' power when Emperor Constantine granted them extensive admnistrative powers throughout the empire.

Symbolically, many people see it as the colour of vanity, extravagance and stylishness - or better still, of unconventional chic and even decadence.
It is also the colour of sin and sexuality, which in Christianity is often the same.

People want to be purple. They want to climb the solitary heights, where only dignitaries are allowed. "Growing purple with rage", an expression that also exists in Latin languages, may be a good example of what happens when one does not achieve this status, when one is not respected or acknowledged. "Ordinary" rage is simply red and pedestrian. Beware of the rage of purple high-fliers.