The following came to mind after conversations about 'power' last week.

I find the seperation into 5 sources worthy of further analysis and reflection:

5 Sources of Power:

Power, defined by J French and B Raven as:

‘ the ability to influence another person or to get another person to think, feel or do something’. To understand ‘power’, we must first be aware that power has more than one source. In their article ‘the basis of social power’, French & Raven define 5 sources of power:

• Reward power: the power to give or withhold something that is perceived as being valuable by another person
• Coercive power: the power to inflict some kind of punishment that the other person wants to avoid
• Legitimate power: the power to exert authority legitimately, to use the influence of one’s title or of one’s position
• Referent power: the power that other people give us because they respect us, like us or are attracted to us
• Expertise power: the power that other people give us because of our special knowledge and competence

Almost all people draw from one or more of these power sources in their attempts to influence others.
(French JRR & L Raven ‘The Basis of Social Power in Group Dynamics D. Cartwright (ed) New York: Harper & Row 1968)

Self Assertion For Women Pamela Butler 1981