POWER
Sources (French & Raven, 1959):
RCL [based on structure of situation]
Reward: Person controls valuable resources
Coercive: Person has the power to punish
(often by withholding resources)
Legitimate: Position power, formal status
(Usually comes with some R/C power)
REI [based on willingness to be influenced]
Referent: You identify with, are attracted to
powerholder. They are a model.
Expert: You see the person as an expert, with
superior skills/knowledge
Informational: Person mobilizes information & argument to persuade you
Recent extensions & elaborations (Raven, 1993)
| Base | Socially | Surveillance |
| dependent? | Important? |
| Coercion | Yes | Yes |
| Reward | Yes | Yes |
| Legitimacy | Yes | No |
| Expert | Yes | No |
| Reference | Yes | No |
| Informational | No | No |
Social dependence: Agent important
Socially independent: Agent unimportant
Surveillance: Important when target complies
without necessarily accepting
Further differentiations (Raven, 1993 cont.):
Coercion & Reward:
Can be Impersonal or Personal
Impersonal forms based on impersonal
resources (promotions, money, food, grades)
Personal forms based on approval and rejection
Legitimacy: Four forms
Formal legitimacy (original concept--position)
Reciprocity
Equity
Dependence (powerlessness)
Last three are based on social norms that make a request legitimate and create obligations
Reference & Expert
Can be Positive or Negative
Positive: You accept the other person as a model or feel that they know best
(Original)
Negative: You want to be different from other
person or do the opposite of what
they say because you distrust them
Informational
Can be Direct or Indirect
Direct: Person presents information to
persuade you
Indirect: Person drops hints or arranges the information to reach you in another way (eavesdropping, third party). Used for upward influence
Analyzing Power Structure by Observing
Process and Outcomes:
Responses to Influence Attempts
| Change | Public Position or Behavior |
| Private Position | Yes | No |
| Yes | Conversion | Anticonformity |
| No | Compliance | Independence |
Question approach:
(Harvard system for analyzing gender relations)
Who has what?
Who gets what?
Who does what?
Who decides?