The Bases of Power: Origins and Recent Developments. A Presentation in Honor of John R. P. French on the Occasion of His Receiving the Kurt Lewin Award.

Bertram H. Raven, Department of Psychology, UCLA, Los Angeles, CA 90024-1563.

N

33

Individual Power; Interpersonal Relationship; Models; Psychological Patterns; Theories

The history and background of the analysis of the basis of power is examined, beginning with its origins in the works of Kurt Lewin and his followers at the Research Center for Group dynamics. The original French and Raven (1959) bases of power model posited six bases of power: reward, coercion, legitimate, expert, referent, and informational (or persuasion). Since then, as the result of considerable research, the model has gone through very significant developments. A more comprehensive model is presented here which reviews: various motivations of the influencing agent (including the need for power, concern with personal image, etc.); an assessment of available power bases in terms of potential effectiveness, personal preferences values and norms, time perspective: consideration of other strategies such as manipulation; utilization of various preparatory and stage-setting devices to strengthen one's power resources; implementation of the power strategies; assessment of effectiveness of influence attempt and its positive and negative after-effects; use of various ameliorative devices; review and consideration and another round of influence strategies. The overall model is examined in terms of its applicability to various settings including: hospital infection control; patient compliance with physicians' recommendations; confrontations between political figures; children's influence on their peers; as well as supervisor/subordinate relationships. (Author)

1993

ED351648