In social psychologist Geert Hofstede's work on the dimensions of cultural difference he discusses the concept of "power distance," which he defines as "the degree of inequality among people which the population of a country considers as normal: from relatively equal (that is, small power distance) to extremely unequal (large power distance)." [1] Recent reflections on the relevance of Hofstede's work for groups other than national cultures has led me to consider how power is expressed interpersonally and just what we mean by power in this context. [2]
Merriam-Webster's first definition of power is "the ability to act or produce an effect." [3] But what about interpersonal power? A team of European psychologists working on group dynamics includes this definition: "One group has a higher capacity to modify the other group's state than vice versa." [4] And work by a group of Americans defines it at the individual level: "We define power as an individual's relative capacity to modify others' states by providing or withholding resources or administering punishments." [5] So a simple definition of interpersonal power might be "the ability to modify another person's state or the state of a group."
But this definition poses a problem: It identifies a subject--another person or a group--and a relationship between ourselves and that subject--the capacity to modify it--but it says nothing about us and our own internal state. And yet our level of comfort with power (and our ability to wield it effectively) varies so widely in different circumstances that it seems essential to include ourselves in the equation more explicitly. In "Self-Empowerment, Awareness and Choice" physician and group facilitator Patricia Day Williams discusses power in a way that emphasizes a sense of self:
Self-empowerment begins with self-awareness. We must first become aware of the many internal and external factors affecting our behavior and the difference between the two. Most of us find it relatively easy to identify forces "out there" that hold us back or down...but it is far more difficult to uncover the ways we undermine ourselves with self-limiting beliefs...
There are three beliefs that commonly disempower us. The first is the belief that power is determined primarily by factors outside our influence or control... At worst, ascribing our power or lack thereof to forces beyond our control results in overlooking those factors over which we do have some control.
A second, related way in which we unnecessarily undermine our power is believing our view of the world is the same thing as external reality... Then, acting in accordance with what we "know," we collude in the continued external manifestation of our view of reality.
A third belief that undermines us is the belief that power is a fixed commodity, a limited resource for which we must compete... The more I have, the less you have, and vice-versa. If I want more power, I will spend considerable time and energy trying to increase mine and prevent you from increasing yours. If I feel undeserving, I may try to avoid using my power, pretend not to have it or give it away to others whom I believe to be more deserving.
Williams makes it clear that although our understanding of power may initially focus on others and our mutual relationships, the ability to actually wield power ultimately depends on our level of self-awareness and our ability to modify our beliefs and our internal state. So in seeking to be more powerful we should first seek to better understand ourselves.
FOOTNOTES
[1] Cultural constraints in management theory (Geert Hofstede, The Executive, 1993)
[2] Geert Hofstede on the Dimensions of Cultural Difference
[3] Merriam-Webster
[4] Why some groups just feel better: The regulatory fit of group power (Kai Sassenberg, Kai Jonas, James Shah and Paige Brazy, Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 2007)
[5] Power, Approach and Inhibition (Dacher Keltner, Deborah Gruenfeld and Cameron Anderson, Psychological Review, 2003)
[6] "Self-Awareness, Empowerment and Choice" (Patricia Day Williams, Chapter 7.10 in Reading Book for Human Relations Training, edited by Alfred Cooke, Michael Brazzel, Argentine Saunders Craig and Barbara Greig, 1999)
Revised August 2021.
Photo by Jason Eppink.
