Meaning of Power
Power is a fundamental entity of human society. It is a universal phenomenon. Society itself is built of power relations-the father exercising his power over his child, a master over his slave, a teacher over his student, a victor over the vanquished, an employer over his employee, an army commander over the soldiers and so on. All these are examples of social power. What then do we mean by power?
(i) Max Weber defined power as "the ability to control the behaviour of others, even in the absence of their consent".
(ii) As Ian Robertson says, "power is the capacity to participate effectively in a decision-making process".
(iii) According to N.J. Demerath III and Gerald Marwell, "power may be defined as the capacity to get things done despite obstacles and resistance".
It may be pointed out that there are many types of power and many ways of overcoming resistance. "One can threaten, cajole, influence, coerce, wheedle, persuade, beg, blackmail, inspire, etc., to get his things done. But power on a large scale is almost always embedded within organisational structures whether they be governments, political parties, business firms, schools, churches, or protest movements." "In each of these settings power involves a kind of gamble. Because there is always the risk that the people in power will betray the common trust".-Demerath and Marwell
Power may be exercised blatantly or subtly, legally or illegally, justly or unjustly. It may derive from many sources, such as wealth, status, prestige, numbers, or organisational efficiency. Its ultimate basis, however, is the ability to compel obedience, if necessary through the threat or use of force. Social power has been known in several ways in which with status, influence, eminence, competence, dominance, rights, strength, force, and authority.
(i) Power and Prestige are closely linked. Ross aforesaid that, "the category that has the foremost name can have the foremost power". It can be said that the powerful groups tend to be prestigious and prestigious groups powerful.
(ii) Knowledge, eminence, skill, and competence-all contribute to prestige, but they need necessarily accompany power. If at all power is accompanied by these factors then the association only incidental.
(iii) Power and influence are more intimately connected. Still they are different. Influence in persuasive whereas power is coercive. We submit voluntarily to influence but power requi submission. They are, so as to say, independent variables. Influence doesn't need power and power might dispense with influence.
(iv) Power and dominance are also to be distinguished. Power may be a social science, and dominance a psychological phenomenon. The locus of power is in both persons and groups, and in important cases it is in the latter. But dominance may be a operate of temperament or of temperament. It is a personal trait. It is additionally doable to seek out dominant people enjoying roles in swamped teams and submissive people enjoying roles in powerful ones. Power is one thing and dominance quite another.
(v) Power and Rights: Rights area unit a lot of closely related to privileges and magisterially than they're with power. A right is one in all the conditions of power and not power itself. One might have a right while not the facility to exercise it. The man who has the power rarely waits for the right to use it A right always requires some support in the social structure. No individual can successfully claim a right that is unrecognised in the law and non-existent in the mores. Rights typically, like privileges, duties, obligations, responsibilities, etc., area unit connected to the statuses. Whereas, power doesn't essentially need the backing of the standing.
(vi) Power, Force and Authority: Power is not force and power is not authority, but it is related to both. As Robert Bierstedt said, "Power is latent force; force is manifest power, and authority is institutionalized power." Power is the prior capacity that makes the use of force possible. Only groups that have power can threaten to use force and the threat itself is power. Power is that the ability to use force, not its actual employment. Power is always successful when it is not successful, it ceases to be power. Power thus symbolises the force that may be applied in any social situation and supports the authority that is applied. "Power is thus neither force nor authority but it makes both force and authority possible."--Robert Bierstedt.
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