Chapter 12: Power and Violence Flashcards
power in relationships today
55% of people today say their relationships are equal partnerships where both partners have about the same influence on important decisions
power in relationships in previous generations
In previous generations, men were the dominant partners in heterosexual relationships
social power
the ability to influence or change the thoughts, feelings, or behaviour of others to suit our purposes and to resist their influence on us
interdependency perspective on power
Power is based on the control of valuable resources
caveats of the interdependency perspective on power
- The person who has power doesn’t have to possess the resources; controlling access to them is enough
- One derives power from controlling a resource only if others want it
- The availability of alternative sources of desired resources is also critical
Principle of lesser interest
in any partnership, the person who has less interest in continuing and maintaining the relationship has more power in that relationship
why are men more powerful in traditional marriages?
- In traditional marriages, men may be more powerful than women because they have higher CLalts
- They may encounter large numbers of other potential partners by working outside the home
- They’re more likely to have the money to pursue other potential partners if they want
fate control
one can autocratically determine what outcomes a partner receives, thereby controlling their fate
behaviour control
when, by changing one’s behaviour, one encourages a partner to alter their actions in a desirable direction
power as a reciprocal relationship
- In almost all relationships, both partners have power over each other
- In many cases, one partner’s power over the other will be matched by the other’s counterpower, so both can get each other to do what they want some of the time
reciprocity
encourages us to do unto others as they have done unto us
social responsibility
urges us to be generous to those who depend on us
6 types of power
- reward power
- coercive power
- legitimate power
- referent power
- expert power
- informational power
resource that grants reward power
rewards
resource that grants coercive power
punishment
resource that grants legitimate power
authority, and norms of equity, reciprocity, or social responsibility
resource that grants referent power
respect and/or love
resource that grants expert power
expertise
resource that grants informational power
information
why does reward power gets people to do what you want?
you give them something they like or take away something they don’t like
why does coercive power gets people to do what you want?
you can do something to them they don’t like or take something away they do
why does legitimate power gets people to do what you want?
they recognize your authority to tell them what to do
why does referent power gets people to do what you want?
they identify with you, feeling attracted, and wanting to remain close
why does expert power gets people to do what you want?
you have the broad understanding they desire
why does informational power gets people to do what you want?
you possess some specific knowledge they desire
why do men tend to be the dominant partners in heterosexual relationships?
- Men have more relative resources than women
- Social norms support and maintain male dominance
- Equality is elusive: we’re not sure what it looks like
Universalistic resources
can be exchanged with almost anyone in a wide variety of situations, and whoever controls them has considerable freedom in deciding what to do with them
Particularistic resources
valuable in some situations but not others
influence of men vs. women
Women have more influence at home, but men have more influence when it matters
inequality in heterosexual couples today
Most heterosexual couples still tolerate substantial inequality
coercive power and gender
- Men tend to have more coercive power due to their larger size and greater strengthen
- However, coercion is an ineffective way to influence an intimate partner
what differentiates powerful and nonpowerful people?
- Powerful people experience a lot of positive moods and feelings of well-being and feel in control of things
- Powerful people are less good at taking other people’s perspectives
- Powerful people are more likely to cheat on their partners while being more strict at condemning other’s cheating. They judge other’s moral transgressions more harshly than their own
- Powerless people suffer more depression, behave more cautiously, and timidly fear punishment more than powerful people do
power dynamics in same-sex conversations
Women and men behave similarly when talking to members of the same se
power dynamics in opposite-sex conversations
- Women tend not to speak to men with the same implicit strength and power that they display toward other women
- Men interrupt women more than women interrupt men
Men speak more than women