Power

Abstract

Like all concepts in social science, power is a complex term. The literature on power is marked by a deep disagreement over the basic definition of power. Some theorists define power as getting someone else to do what you want them to do (power over), whereas others define it more broadly as an ability or a capacity to act (power to). Thomas Hobbes's definition of power as a person's “present means … to obtain some future apparent Good” is a classic example of the latter understanding of power. Conversely, Michel Foucault suggests that power itself is “relational” in that, while one social actor may exercise power with other individuals, we also need to be aware that all other individuals have “power” in their social relationship that can be expressed through “resistance.”