Playing with PowerDefining Power and Related TermsPowerPoint PresentationPower PrinciplesSlide 5Slide 6Slide 7Slide 8Slide 9Slide 10Slide 11French and Raven’s Bases of PowerPower Currencies (Wilmot & Hocker)Playing with Power Dominance and Influence in RelationshipsDefining Power and Related TermsPower: an individual’s ability to influence othersAgency: a unique, empowering quality of experience in which a person masters the surrounding environment, including social interaction and relationshipsDominance: the display or expression of power through behavior; behavior is only dominant if it works Social influence: changing someone’s thoughts, emotions, or behaviorsPower PrinciplesPower is a perception. Others are only powerful to the extent that we think they are powerful.People who use power cues (powerful language and nonverbals) tend to make us think they are powerful.**__________________________________________________________________Power exists in relationships. Relative power: how much power one has in comparison to one’s partner People are most happy in equalitarian relationshipsPeople are least happy in relationships where the woman has considerably more power than the man**Being vulnerable means letting the other person have some power over you.Power usually represents a struggle over resources.The scarcity hypothesis: People have the most power when the resources they possess are hard to come by or in high demand. Resources: comm skill, phys. attractiveness, advice, social support, sense of humor, parenting ability, sexual rewards, affection, companionship, and loveIncomeWomen’s power INC as they bring in more financial resourcesWhen married couple has = income, women have more decision-making power, share in $ mgmt and do less houseworkUnequal access to $ is assoc. with male control and less female r’ship satisfactionDifferencesMen are dom in public interactionsWomen are more dom and influential in private and sexual interactionsThe person with less to lose has greater power. Dependence power: People who are dependent on their relationships and have low quality alternatives are in the powerless positionPrinciple of Least Interest: The person who is more attracted and/or more in love is at a power disadvantage when it comes to power Related the person who values autonomy over connectedness has more power as they control how much together time the couple has.Power can be enabling or disabling.People who communicate dominance in a socially skilled manner are more successful in achieving their goals and maintaining good relationshipsMen and women with high power needs have less intimate friendships and their partners experiences INC negative emotionsPower can be disabling when it leads to destructive patterns of communication: The chilling effect: the less powerful person often hesitates to communicate grievances to her or his partner; less likely to occur in committed r’shipsDemand-withdraw sequences: one person makes demands and the other becomes defensive and withdraws; the less powerful person is usually in the demanding position when they seek change or compliance from their partner (women are most likely to play the demanding role)Short term relational dissatisfaction for couple but long term r’tional satisfactiof for womenThe Prerogative Principle: the partner with more power can make and break the rulesActions can reinforce the powerful person’s dependence power over the other personFrench and Raven’s Bases of PowerERCRL1.Expert- particular knowledge others need2.Reward- power to give incentive3.Coercive- power to punish4.Referent- charismatic5.Legitimate- comes by virtue of positionPower Currencies (Wilmot & Hocker)RICEResources- power from what you haveInterpersonal linkages- who you knowCommunication- good rhetoricExpertise- skill or knowledge set you have**Your power is based on the