NATURE, FORMS, AND
CONSEQUENCE OF
POWER

POWER
•Generally defined as the ability of a person to
carry out his or her will.
•Power in the natural science can be easily
established through a single equation, which
signifies the quantifiable nature of physical
power.

NATURE OF POWER
Dahl (1950) defined power in society as the ability
of person/institution A to make person/ institution
B do something on his/her its own would not do.
From the said definition, power in the society
spans a broad spectrum of meaning that includes
force, authority, influence, and most of the time,
coercion.

WHAT IS POWER IN POLITICS???
• In politics the concept of power is closely related to
the state, government, governance and citizenship.

POWER IS CLOSELY TIED TO:
• Sovereignty - which is the power of the government to
perform its functions and conduct its affairs without
interference from outside forces.
• Authority – the right to exercise power in society
• Legitimacy – the acceptance or recognition of the right
to exercise power.

TAXONOMY OF POWER
Four major types:
1. Compulsory Power
2. Institutional Power
3. Structural Power
4. Productive Power

1. Compulsory power – the direct control of one actor
of the conditions and actions of another.
2. Institutional power – the indirect ways in which an
actor affects another. An example is the use of rules
or the law to impose order.

3. Structural power – basically looks at the position and the
roles of various actors in relation to each other. Example are
coach to player, boss to worker, or captain to crew
relationships wherein the position of each player towards
another provide them roles and responsibilities that they
play even without one coercing the other.

4. Productive power – similar to structural power that
looks into the relative position of the actors, the social
production of their roles, and how the roles affect’s the
actor perception and actions. However, productive
power focuses not on the direct structures provided
and accepted by each actor, but on the discourse
between the actors in which power is negotiated.

FIVE BASES OF POWER
• Reward power: Promising or granting rewards.
• Coercive power: Threats or actual punishment.
• Legitimate power: Based on position or formal
authority.
• Expert power: Sharing of knowledge or information.
• Referent power: Power of one’s personality
(charisma).

CONSEQUENCE OF POWER
The extent of the consequence of power is dependent upon the
different ways, degree, and the aims by which power is expressed in
the society. For instance, political power in a state is exercised by the
government . Through this power, the government is able to create
and enact laws that promote peace and order in society and influence
various processes such as those affecting economy for the benefit of
its constituents as well.

• Compliance refers to the readiness or act of agreeing to
do something.
• The two types of power most likely to cause compliance
are legitimate or position power and reward power.
1.Compliance with the order may occur if it is
perceived to be within the leader’s scope of authority.
2.Compliance is most likely to happen if the reward is
something valued by the target person.

• Commitment is an even more desirable outcome
because of the trust and emotional pledge that it
causes. It is perceived as loyalty or a sense of
dedication or devotion. Commitment is most likely to
be the consequence when the powers used are
referent and expert.

• Resistance means to refuse or to oppose. It is the most
likely outcome when coercive power is used in a hostile
or manipulative way. It is best to use coercion power in
preventing behavior that is harmful to the society and
well-being of the people such as illegal and violent
activities. (Heywood 2007)

• Abuse of Authority – refers to the use of authorized
power for illegal acts or stepping beyond the bounds of
authorized action
• Abuse of discretion – the willful disregard for the rules of
proper procedure.
• Abuse of Power – pertains to misconduct in office, where
an official performs unlawful actions while in office.

In studying politics, we must be aware and
accept the fact that power, as a central concept, is
dynamic and has different forms, depending on
who is imposing power, and how the power is
expressed.

QUIZ

IDENTIFICATION
1.The ability of a person to carry out his or her
will.
2.The right to exercise power in society.
3.The acceptance or recognition of the right to
exercise power.

TRUE OR FALSE
4. Power includes force, authority, influence, and most of
the time, coercion.
5. The concept of power is closely related to the state,
government, governance and citizenship
6. Power is dynamic and has different forms, depending
on who is imposing power, and how the power is
expressed

7. Commitment is most likely to be the consequence when
the power used is coercive.
8. Legitimate power is most likely to cause compliance.
9. Resistance likely is the outcome when reward power is
used.

IDENTIFY AS TO WHAT TYPE OF POWER:
(Coercive, Reward, Expert, Referent, Legitimate)
10.Your mother asks you to buy flour in the bakery.
11.The stage director threatened to kick out the lead actor
out of the play if he commits another mistake.
12. Rizie completed the puzzle in ten minutes.

IDENTIFY AS TO WHAT TYPE OF POWER:
(Coercive, Reward, Expert, Referent, Legitimate)
13.The teacher will give five points to those who can submit their
projects on time.
14. Amia is admired and respected by his subordinates and
seen as a role model.
15. Ezra was promoted by her manager because of good
performance.