Chapter 5 Sociology - Power

expert power

Perception that a person has superior knowledge in a particular area.

Feminist Theories

Point out that power can involve competence and empowerment, rather than just the domination of others.

Rational and nonrational tactics

Rational- appeal to logic and include bargaining and rational persuasion. Nonrational- include emotional appeals.

coercive power

The ability to punish- by witholding valued resources or by inflicting verbal or physical harm.

Reward power

The control one party has over valued resources that can be used to provide positive incentives.

Unilateral and bilateral tactics

Unilateral- Do not require cooperation to initiate; they include demands, orders, or disengagement. Bilateral- Involve give-and-take, as in negotiations and discussions.

Hegemony

a condition that exists when those in power have successfully spread their ideas - and marginalized alternative viewpoints- so that their perspectives and interests accepted widely as being universal and true.

class

a group of people who share a roughly similar economic position and lifestyle

intersectionality theory

a perspective that highlights the connections and interactions between various forms of inequality, especially race, class, and gender

privilege

a special advantage or benefit not enjoyed by all

standpoint theory

a theory that questions taken-for-granted assumptions about society by looking at it from multiple viewpoints, especially from the perspective of people in subordinate positions

legitimate power

authority that is voluntarily accepted by those who are affected

informational power

based on a person's use of facts, data, or other evidence to argue rationally or persuade

Hard and Soft tactics

hard- forceful, direct or harsh. People employing them use economic rewards and other tangible outcomes, and even threats. soft- focus on relationships. People employing make use of collaboration and friendship to achieve a claim.

Patriarchy

male domination through social institutions and cultural practices

social mobility

movement from one stratum of a stratification system to another

rational-legal authority

power that has legitimacy because it is based on established laws, rules, and procedures

traditional authority

power that has legitimacy because of compliance with well-established cultural practices

charismatic authority

power whose legitimacy is derived from the extraordinary personal characteristics of an individual leader, which inspire loyalty and devotion

stratification system

social structures and cultural norms that create and maintain inequality by ranking people into a hierarchy of groups that receive unequal resources

caste system

stratification based on various ascribed characteristics determined at birth.

class system

stratification determined by economic position, which results from a combination of individual achievement and family of birth

Power

the ability to bring about an intended outcome, even when opposed by others.

matrix of domination

the interlocking systems of oppression associated with race, class, and gender

life chances

the opportunities offered by a person's economic position

social closure

the process whereby a status group maximizes its own advantages by restricting access to rewards only to members of the group

power tactics

the specific strategies people use to influence others in everyday life

inequality

the unequal distribution of resources among groups of people

Reward

to encourage people's compliance by offering some compensation as a positive incentive

Coerce

to force people's compliance by threatening, intimidating, pressuring, or harming them.

Persuade

to obtain people's compliance by convincing them of the correctness of your position and goals.

Discrimination

treating others unequally based on their background or other personal characteristics.

Organization

-Bringing people together to identify common goals and work to achieve them.

Education

-The best-known approach to empowerment -Some philosophies focus on empowering students not transmitting facts. -To achieve their goal, people or groups must understand their situation, have a vision of what needs to be done, and obtain the training and skills they need to reach their goal.

Illegitimate power

A form of authority that relies on force or coercion to generate obedience.

conflict theories

Address power and economic inequality.

Empowerment

An increase in the capacity of people to bring about an intended outcome.

refrent power

Based on feelings of identification, affection, and respect for another person, even if that person does not seek influence over others.

Networking

Involves reaching outside your immediate circle of contacts to find allies.

Christian Clergy

Largely served the nobles but had some independence due to their claim of religious authority.

Commoners

Made up a bulk of the population. Illiterate and worked on land that they didn't own.

Nobility

Owned the vast tracts of land upon which the agricultural economy and their power was based.