Republic of the Philippines

Department of Education
Region V
Division of City Schools
SORSOGON NATIONAL HIGH SCHOOL
Magsaysay Street, Almedras Cogon East District Sorsogon City

Philippine Politics and Governance

Quarter 1 – Module 4:
Nature, Dimensions/Types and Consequences of Power
MOST ESSENTIAL LEARNING COMPETENCY:
Examine the brief history, core teachings, fundamental beliefs, practices, and related
issues of Christianity.
Content Standards:
The learners demonstrate an understanding of politics and political science, governance, political
ideologies, power, states, nations, and globalization.
Performance Standards:
The learners shall be able to clearly identify a specific political phenomenon and how it can be studie

Objectives
After going through this module, you are expected to:
1. Define power. HUMSS_PG12-Id-11
2. Recognize the nature, dimensions, types, and consequences of powerHUMSSPG12-Id-12
3. Analyze the nature, dimensions, types, deployments, and consequences of power. HUMSS_PG12-Id-13
4. Assess how power is exercised in different situations. HUMSS_PG12-Id-14

Nature, Dimensions/Types and Consequences of Power

This module was designed and written with you in mind. It is here to help you understand the concept of
power. The scope of this module permits it to be used in many different learning situations. As senior high
school student, you need to be prepared for you to become knowledgeable especially in making
decisions. Your skills and knowledge need to be developed as you proceed to a higher level of learning.

DEFINITION AND NATURE OF POWER

From the Latin verb potere meaning “to be able” (Power is being able, physically, intellectually, or a
combination both, to achieve what one wants. Power is a matter of getting people to do what they would
not otherwise have done. (Dahl). Power is the ability to impose one’s will on the behavior of other persons
(Max Weber). Power is the currency of politics. Just as the money permits the efficient flow of goods and
services, so power enables collective decisions to be made and enforced. Power is the key political resource
that enables rulers both to serve and to exploit their subjects. Politics always involves the exercise of power
by one person or person to another person or persons (Shively,2012) Power is to get someone to do
something he/she wants to accomplish. In having such ability, along with the exercise of power is an
influence. In order to influence a person there must an authority. Power is a well prime ingredient of politics
(Roskin et.al.,2012). However, there are instances that power becomes cynical, brutal, and self-destructive
that affirmed Lord Acton’s dictum.

What is Power? Power is - It is the probability that one actor within a social relationship will be in a
position to carry out his own will despite resistance, regardless of the basis on which this probability rest
(Weber, 1947). - It is among other thing, the ability to enforce one’s moral claims (Gouldner, 1970). -The
ability to make a difference, to change things from what they would otherwise have been (Giddens, 1997

DIMENSIONS OF POWER

1. AUTHORITY- Authority creates its own power so long as people accept that the person in authority has
the right to make decisions. It is a broader concept than power. Where power is the capacity to act,
authority is the acknowledge right to do so. It exists when subordinates accept the capacity of superior
to give legitimate orders.

TYPES OF AUTHORITY (WEBER IN ETHRIDGE & HANDELMAN,2004)

CHARISMATIC AUTHORITY – It is an influence possessed by person by virtue of their personal magnetism. It

flows not from the legal basis of one’s power but an individualpersonal “gifts”.

RATIONAL- LEGAL AUTHORITY- It is a leadership base on established law. People obey the leader or

executive because they accept his or her power under the law.

TRADITIONAL AUTHORITY – The leadership is based from the culture that its people often give allegiance to
the one who occupies the institutional positions.

COERCIVE AUTHORITY – The power to use force such as police or military force to demand obedience from
the subordinate.

2. LEGITIMACY – comes from the Latin legitimare, meaning to be declare lawful. Denotes a general belief
that the state’s power to make and enforce rules are justified and proper. When governmental
authority is based on legitimacy, citizens feel they have a duty or obligation to obey, or abide by, what
the government legislates.
THREE TYPES OF POWER
• CONDIGN OR COERCIVE – power refers to brute force. This means the ability to inflict punishment on
someone if they don’t obey. Courts, police forces and armies are the principal instruments of condign
power.
• COMPENSATORY -power means the ability to get what you want by exchanging something of value
and of course the principal instrument of compensatory power is money.
CONDITIONED OR INFLUENCE-power refers to public opinion, and the instrument of conditioned power
are education and persuasion. The trick is to get people to obey you of their own free will.

Important points to ponder: The life cycle of an idea starts with the seed in the mind of a few individuals.
They spread the idea until they have gained enough conditioned power to enter the realm of compensatory
power. Money then gains access to more media, and thus consolidates more conditioned power. And the
combination of money and public opinion becomes law, and thus gains condign power.

References:
Lazo, Ricardo, Introduction to Political Science, Rex Bookstore, Inc.2009
Jackson, ROBERT J. and Jackson Doreen, Pearson Education Asia Pte Ltd, 2000
Haque, Rod and Harrop, Martin, Palgrave MacMillan, 2019
Tabajen, Rhene C. and Pulma, Erlinda B. Philippine Poltics and Governance, JFS
Publishing Services Unit 9005 Central Park Condominium 2, Res. D. Jorge St.
Barangay 132 Pasay City, 1303 Philippines, 201

Activity 1: Concept Mapping

Concept to map: What is power? (Based from the processing of the group concept maps of ‘power’, the
KWL chart will be filled initially.)
Know Want Learn

answer

answer POWER answer

asnwer

We have lots of definition of power, using the word/ phrase you listed on the concept
mapping, formulate a meaning of power as many as you can. What is the best definition of
power for you? Why?
POWER____________________________________________________________
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Why?
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Activity 2: Individual Work: FBpost

Make a statement or a saying regarding the types and consequences of power which they will post in their
Facebook wall. (Please send your fb post link in our gc).
Activity 3: Individual Work: Short Essay

Activity 3: Essay is not Easy! Directions: Create a short essay presenting and discussing the facts and your
critical analysis on the nature, dimensions, types, and consequences of power. 200 words. In one whole
sheet of paper.
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Assessment: Activity 4 Work: ArtThrob, Pusuan Mo Bes!

Let the students draw an image or an illustration representing application of power in leading and
influencing people in his/her community and in a broader sense, nation. (Teacher will send the
rubric/criteria in the gc). In one bond paper will do.

How are you? I hope you enjoyed the lesson 1. Okay let’s see how much you have learned.
Write your answer on your paper.

Quiz
TRUE OR FALSE
Directions: Read the statements carefully. Write T if the statement is correct and write F if the statement
is false.
1. Physical power does not derive from the material or physical advantage.
Individually, it can come from strength or skill, such as the power of physical
strength of an athlete.
2. Power is not among other thing, the ability to enforce one’s moral claims.
3. Resistance is the most likely outcome when coercive power is used by leader.
4. Legitimate power is a type of power that comes from the belief that a person
has the formal right to make demands, and expect others to be compliant and
obedient.
5. Commitment is most likely when the powers used are expert and referential.
6. Informational power results from a person’s incompetence to control the
information that others need to accomplish something.
7. Expert power is a type of power based on a person’s low levels of skill and
knowledge.
8. Charisma is not a form of emotional power, including the power of oratory and
the use of subtle body language.
9. Coercive power comes from the belief that a person can punish others for
noncompliance.
10.Compliance is the state of being too willing to conform to the request, more
likely, if it is perceived to be within the leader’s scope of authority.
Additional Activities
Activity 5 – SLOGAN MAKING
Directions: Create a slogan about the use of power. Write your answer inside the horizontal
scroll. (Teacher will send the rubric in the gc). Bond paper.

REMINDER:
ALL YOUR OUTPUT PLEASE PAKI STAPLER PARA
ISAHAN PAGPASA. Thank you!