SESSION 4: POWER Types of Power

Power – capacity of an individual to modify the conduct 1. Economic Power

of other individuals or groups in the way in which the 2. Social Power
power holder desires. 3. Political Power
4. Knowledge Power
- R.H. Tawney 5. Ideological Power
5 Sources of Power 6. Distributional Power
7. Collective Power
According to John French and Bertram Raven:
Consequences of Power
1. Legitimate Power (Position)
2. Reward Power (Wealth) Sources of Power Consequences
3. Expert Power (Expertise)
Expert Power Commitment
4. Referent Power (Popular Support)
5. Coercive Power (Force) Referent Power

1. Legitimate Power Legitimate Power Compliance

- Power based on a person’s position in the
Reward Power
government; power vested by law.
- A person has the formal right to make Coercive Power Resistance
demands, and to expect others to be
compliant and obedient to them.

2. Reward Power
- Power from a person’s ability to compensate
others for compliance.
- E.G. Bourgeoisie paying salary to his workers
in exchange for labor

3. Expert Power
- Power based on a person’s high levels of skill
and knowledge
- Power based upon employer’s perception
that an employee has a high level of
knowledge or a specialized set of skills that
other employees do not possess
- E. G. Lawyers for lawsuits.

4. Referent Power
- Power based on popular support
- Power is derived from a person’s perceived
attractiveness, worthiness and right to
other’s respect.
- E. G. Mocha Uson

5. Coercive Power
- Power based on force
- Power is derived from the belief that a person
can punish others for noncompliance
- E.G. Dictatorship or Authoritarian
governments

Nature of Power

1. Power is a form of social relationship

between individuals and groups. It is the
ability of a person to make someone else do
something which he otherwise would not do.
2. Power is transitive in nature, meaning it has a
subject and an object. There is no leader if
there are no followers. It can be exercised
only in relations
3. There must be two views of power—one seen
from the viewpoint of the power holder and
another from the viewpoint of those to
whom power is applied.
4. Power is situational. It depends upon
situation, circumstances, and position.