Robert Bierstadt's An Analysis Of Social Power

Robert Bierstadt’s ‘An Analysis of Social Power’ is written to “clarify the meaning of the concept … and seek the sources of social power itself.” His first point is to separate power from dominance. Observation “power is a sociological, dominance a psychological concept” reveals that Bierstadt believes power is in social interactions whereas dominance is a mental belief that someone holds power over you. Also, opinion “power is not force” but “power itself is the predisposition of or prior capacity which makes the application of force possible… power is the ability to employ force” his example “your money or your life” exposes that force is different from power and it is the threat of the use of force that is power not force itself. Leading

With reference to works done before him he analysis how power manifests itself in society and what power actually means. Like when he separates power from dominance, due to the belief that power is seen in social or political situations like Adolf Hitler’s and his NAZI party’s sociological and political control of Germany. Whereas dominance is just the feeling of someone being grater or holding over over you not an actual manifestation of power. He then separates power from force as power is the threat of force not the actual application of force because when force is applied power ceases to exist. The threat of force is real power however as it can make someone do something due to fear of force. Leading him to discover that power has to be succceful otherwise it ceases to exist because if the threat of force does not work then the balance of power becomes equal. While power in organisations comes in the form of a status or title the example of a policemen’s power. This reveals that power is not always due to someone ability to threaten force but as a representative of a powerful organization. Finally observing to have power you must also have resources or numbers behind