The Perception of Power

The Perception of Power

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Course

The Perception of Power

Name

Course

The idea of power is at times quite confusing . Pinpointing an exact human quality or possession and labelling it `power ' is impossible , and to understand this key element in social dynamics we must look more deeply into our own lives and the lives of those around us

Power dynamics are fluid , changing , and dependent on the specific situation . Each person in a conflict has some degree of power , though one party may have more compared to

the other , and the power can shift during a conflict (Barrosse , 2007 ,

.104 . According to Interpersonal Conflict power is a factor in every human relationship , and it plays a role in all that we do . Every situation is made of people , and each of those people has a certain amount of power - the amounts and the dynamics between the people will inevitably play out in either a show of conflict or of conformity

Barrosse also describes power as a kind of currency which can be traded around , used to achieve goals and also rendered useless in `foreign situations . Just as money depends on the context in which it is to be spent , your power currencies depend on how much your particular resources are valued by the other persons in a relationship context (Barrosse , 2007 ,

.106 . Therefore , power is not solely inherit in an individual , but actually has only a relative existence . While most of us tend to perceive power as a trait that comes out of a person 's own character , it really only exists if that person is in a social group that understands and accepts that individual 's apparent power . If taken away from his or her usual social group , a normally powerful person can be left with no influence and suffer a complete power loss . Essentially one does not wield power outside of normal social context . Power depends on having currencies that other peopled need (Barrosse , 2007 106

The reason for this is simple if you continue to think of power in terms of currency as Barrosse suggests (2007 ,

.106 , and social groups as different countries , then you can see how powerful people experience difficulties when functioning outside their normal realm of social relationships . What one group of people might value very highly in a person (thus giving them power ) may not carry over to another group For example , a powerful person in one group may be that way because he or she cooks very good Thai food for friends . If that person were to associate with a new group of people who are not interested in dinner parties , or who eat only fast food , then that key to power is lost It 's all about key resource control (Barrosse , 2007 , 107 . Power is all completely relative to the social group within which one lives his or her life

Conflict arises during a power shift . When one or more people in a group decide to change...