9 - Dominance and Power

Question 1

Define: Power

Answer 1

• A person’s ability to control or influence others to do what a person wants and a person’s ability to resist influence

Question 2

Define: Agency

Answer 2

• A unique, empowering quality of experience in which person masters the surrounding environment, including social interaction and relationships

Question 3

Define: Dominance

Answer 3

• Expression of power to gain/maintain influence over another

Question 4

Define: Dyadic power theory

Answer 4

• Most dominance in equal power positions; struggle for control

Question 5

Define: Social influence

Answer 5

• Changing thoughts, emotions, behaviours - not necessarily with dominance

Question 6

Define: Relative power

Answer 6

• Power in relation to others

Question 7

Define: Power as perception

Answer 7

• No power if not recognised

Question 8

Define: Power as relational concept

Answer 8

• Most romantic relationships have a power imbalance
• Equal relationships are happiest
• Balance of power often dynamic
• Females bare the mental load eg. “you should have asked”

Question 9

Define: Power as resource-based

Answer 9

• The scarcity hypothesis: more power when the resources they posses are hard to come by
• Money
• More equal income
• Beyond financial: communication skills, physical attractiveness, parenting, humour and social support
• Sex: a woman’s prerogative?

Question 10

Define: Power as having less to lose

Answer 10

• People who are dependant on their partner have more to lose
• Quality of alternatives (if you break up, what will happen?
• Principle of least interest = I am really interested in my boyfriend but he could live without me
• Emotional involvement

Question 11

Define: Power as enabling or disabling

Answer 11

• Power can protect and maintain
• Power can be emotionally insensitive (ignoring feelings, treating others as objects)
• chilling effect (less powerful person often hesitates to communicate grievances)
• demand-withdrawal pattern (less powerful person is more demanding)

Question 12

Define: Power as prerogative

Answer 12

• Partner with more power can make and break decisions

- Can violate norms without as much cost

Question 13

Define: Compliance-gaining strategies

Answer 13

1. Direct requests
2. Bargaining
3. Aversive stimulation:
   - Sulking, whining, crying
4. Ingratiation:
   - Using excessive kindness and compliments to be liked
   - Effective even if insincere
5. Hinting (indirect)
6. Moral appeals
7. Manipulation
8. Deception
9. Withdrawal
10. Distributive communication
    - Blame, bully and insult
11. Threats

Question 14

Define: Non-verbal positions of power

Answer 14

1. Physical appearance
2. Spatial behaviour/proxemics
3. Eye behaviour/oculesics
4. Body movements/kinesics
5. Touch/haptics
6. Voice
7. Time/chronemics
8. Artefacts

Question 15

Define: Power and influence in Parent-Child relationships

Answer 15

1. Authoritarian = dictator
   - Obedience and status
   - Control through shaming and withdrawal
   - Don’t give explanations for rules
2. Permissive =
   - Undemanding, responsive and reluctant to enforce standards of conduct
3. Authoritative = mentor
   - Demanding and directive but also responsive
4. Separation and individuation
   - Transition distancing from parents
   - Teen years; power struggle
   - Re-negotiation of power rules and boundaries of privacy

Question 16

Define: Power in marriage

Answer 16

Traditional marriages

• based on male dominance
• coupled with clearly specialised roles

Egalitarian marriages

• Joint decision making
• Shared responsibilities