Power and Interaction

In this chapter we draw on G. H. Mead to formulate a definition of power as an organism’s capacity to modify its environment to satisfy its needs and desires. We argue that in the social world this capacity is exercised by individuals and groups through forms of action that elicit the cooperation of others. This fundamentally symbolic interactionist approach to power helps us see how power operates on both situational and structural levels. Our argument highlights five forms of action through which the cooperation of others is elicited: (1) crafting virtual selves; (2) using normative and procedural rules; (3) establishing frames and definitions of reality; (4) managing emotions; and (5) invoking extra-situational relationships or “nets of accountability.” An advantage of this approach is that it can illuminate the processes through which power is nurtured, undermined, and resisted. Introduction