I've read about this before, and I think it's true. But has the phenomenon been examined in context? By that I mean: let's say someone becomes wealthy or powerf

I've read about this before, and I think it's true. But has the phenomenon been examined in context? By that I mean: let's say someone becomes wealthy or powerful, and they are known to be wealthy or powerful. The nature of their position allocating resources means that others (not every one, but a significant number) seek to instrumentalize them; i.e. try to get the resources flowing in their direction. I wonder what portion of the decrease in empathy is a response to instrumentalization.