Power and its Manifestation
Power is termed as the ability of an individual to be able to influence other individuals into not only believing but also behaving or rather to valuing things that the person in a position of power desires them to. Therefore, power exists as a social force which to a great extent allows a number of select individuals to organize as well as mobilize others to act in a specific manner. Generally, power manifests itself in a variety of ways, concerning this, some of the forms of power include but not limited to exert power, legitimate power, reward power, coercive power, as well as referent power (Petress).
What is Power?
In the article, “When Power Makes leaders More Sensitive”, according to Matthew Hutson, power in most instances tends to corrupt people while absolute power on the other hand corrupts people absolutely. According to research in the field of psychology, when power is placed in the wrong hands, it ultimately becomes dangerous, however, despite this, power does not always promote bad behavior as when used appropriately, it can increase leaders’ sensitivity to the needs of their populations (Hutson). Power is defined as the total control of valued resources. Generally the term power can be separated into main concepts which include power perceived as a somewhat responsibility and that perceived as freedom. Concerning this, for example, when power is viewed as a source of freedom people are likely to use it for selfish gains or rather purposes, however, when power is viewed as a responsibility in most instances people tend to be selfless (Hutson).
The Influence of Cultural Background and Character
A person’s approach to power is also determined or rather affected by both a person’s cultural background as well as character inclusive of other people’s leadership behaviors. Furthermore, research indicates that making people feel somewhat powerful to a great extent increased not only their compassion but also clarity. Moreover, shifting a leader’s focus; thus to other people’s experiences to a great extent can lead them to use their individual power in ways that are thoughtful (Hutson). Research also indicates that another important factor that tends to determine the use of power responsibility is whether the individual feels their power is being threatened and when this occurs the individual is inclined to behave selfishly. Moreover, leaders are also likely to behavior selfishly in the event their also doubt their overall competence, insecure about their position or even when they feel disrespected. As a result, in order to maintain their power or rather authority they are likely to lash out (Hutson).
Defining Power in Modern American Society
According to Sarah Jaffe in the article “what is power-and how can you get it” the term power is greatly obscured in the modern day American society. Quoting Liu, the author states that power can be defined as the capability or rather ability to ensure other individuals do according to one’s wishes, he further argues that every individual possesses some type of power within themselves (Jaffe). According to the article, power is also defined as the expression of an individual’s moral mindset, in addition, power is to a great extent infinite therefore, no individual ought to lose power in the event another individual acquires power (Jaffe).
Power in Politics and International Relations
Conclusively, in the political world, most states seek to maximize their overall power which can be either relative or in other instances absolute to other nations; thus as a national objective. This in turn enables them to not only attain but also sustaining what can be termed as superiority over others which can either be regionally or even extend globally (Viotti & Kauppi, 185). Concerning this, power can be termed as a set of capabilities which tend to serve national interests, generally these set of capabilities are then used for the purpose of countering threats as well as taking advantage of existing opportunities domestically as well as internationally. Following this, power emerges as a somewhat means that is commonly used by political authorizes as opposed to an end. Therefore, power is used for the purpose of enabling these political authorities to improve their relative position either in the regional or in some instances in the global pecking order; thus among existing states (Viotti & Kauppi, 186). Today, as states as well as societies interact in the highly globalized world, to a great extent national power is greatly exercised not only economically but also diplomatically, culturally, and militarily.
Works Cited
Viotti, Paul, R. " Kauppi, Mark, V. “International Relations and World Politics. 5th
Ed. Pearson, (2013). Pp. 550
Hutson, Matthew. “When Power Makes Leaders More Sensitive”. The New York Times, (2017). Retrieved from; https://www.nytimes.com/2017/05/19/jobs/power-leaders.html
Jaffe, Sarah. “What is power — and how can you get it?”. The Washington Post, (2017). Retrieved from; https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/what-is-power--and-how-can-you-get-it/2017/05/12/25bb024a-fac7-11e6-be05-1a3817ac21a5_story.html?utm_term=.a916d2d51577
Petress, Ken. “Power: Definition, Typology, Description, Examples, and Implications”. (n.d.). Retrieved from; http://uthscsa.edu/gme/documents/powerdefinitionstypologyexamples.pdf
