Page 22 - Flipbook: Sociology Shortcuts Issue 3

power

Power is an important, but often elusive, Power also has a number of dimensions.
concept because it can be defined both: Lukes, for example, defines power in terms
of decision-making: it involves:
• actively - Dugan (2003) suggests, it
involves "the capacity to bring about change". • the ability to make decisions, teachers, for
example, can decide what their students do in
• passively; Lukes (1990), for example, the classroom.
argues one definition involves the power to
"do nothing" by the ability to make others • prevent others making decisions - a
believe nothing has to change. teacher can stop their students doing things
they might like to do (such as gaze out of the
Power also has many sources; Weber (1922), window).
for example, distinguishes between two types:
• remove decision-making from the agenda
• coercive power where people are forced to - the ability, as we've suggested, to "do
obey under threat of punishment nothing because others are convinced no
decision has to be made.
• consensual power (authority) where
people obey because they believe it right to
do so.

Authority can be further sub-
divided into:

• charismatic power,
whereby people obey
because they trust the person
issuing a command.

• traditional power based
on custom and practice - ‘the
way things have always been
done’.

• rational / legal power that
expresses the idea people
expect commands to be
obeyed because their
position in an authority
structure gives them the
right to demand compliance.

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