Wellness Calendar: Thursday 18 December

The eighteenth revolution
[Definitions of power; power dynamics; the trouble with power]
The next revolution is a two-parter on the subject of power within our relationships. Firstly, looking at power and how it can be problematic, then looking at solutions to these problems as well as exploring how power can be useful and beneficial.
Let’s start with some definitions.
Power: The capacity to do something. The ability to act in a certain way. The ability to influence the actions of others. The ability to exert force. The possession of control. The possession of authority. The ability to change the course of events, to affect an outcome.
Powerlessness: To have little or no influence within your life; to not be heard; to be repressed, oppressed, discriminated against; a feeling during and following a violation to your being.
Role power: The power that comes with a role. The goodwill, respect, kudos and status afforded to a person by virtue of their job title. The abuse of this power, through bullying, harassment, entitlement, etc. The abuse of this power when working with vulnerable service users.
Control: A means of regulating or limiting something. The power to restrict an activity. To deal with something.
Cycle of abuse: This is a pattern of behaviour within an abusive relationship that is played out in four acts: (i) A tension builds and communication breaks down (ii) There is an explosion of violence or a verbal assault or a threat made (iii) This is then followed by an apology and promises that it will not happen again (iv) All is calm (until the next storm).
Social influence: The influence our environment has on us. This could include such things as peer pressure, social media and advertising. While we may wish to believe we make independent decisions, we’re all at the mercy of our own need to be liked and to be accepted, which can lead to compliant and obedient behaviour.
Social control: The regulation and shaping of people, including their thoughts, feelings and actions, as exercised by governments through laws, rule, threat, sanctions and punishment as well as organised religions, through notions of sin, eternal damnation and the general fear of God.
Subjugation: The action of bringing someone or something under domination or control by the use of force or rules; conquer; to make submissive; subdue; to maintain a balance of superiority and inferiority; to reduce someone’s status; enslavement (wage slavery); domination; crush.
Cultural hegemony (Antonio Gramschi 1891–1937): This occurs when an ideology becomes such an everyday norm that it’s hard to imagine anything else, never mind being able to have an opinion on whether it’s healthy or dysfunctional. This is how the ruling class of a country maintains their power; by dominating the cultural landscape of a nation; by blitzing a population with their own narrative, their own messages, their own beliefs and values. This makes what’s otherwise a diverse and random population within a landmass sing from the same song sheet.
Divide & rule: The common enemy of the oppressed is always the same throughout time and space: the oppressors, the ruling classes, the people who have the power, the wealth, the land, the influence, and who have no desire to share it with anyone else. Not only have these people managed to dictate the terms of culture, education, media, economics, governance and justice in their favour for centuries, they also use the darker side of psychology to maintain their privilege: driving a wedge between those that oppose them, in order to weaken their unity and their resolve.
There are so many ways to stir up hostilities and in-fighting using whatever existing materials are at hand. Take your pick: Titles. Honours. Age. Gender. Race. Creed. Class. Tribal politics. Referendums. Religions. Hierarchies. Leaders. Masters. Gods. Kings. Queens. Boarders. Countries. Nationality. Flags. News outlets. Immigration. Wage differentials. Legitimacy. Justice. Laws. Reward and punishment. Criminality. Victims. Perpetrators. Single-issue politics.
Entitlement: This is a misplaced belief that you deserve special treatment over other people because you’re better than them in some way. Entitlement can take place consciously or unconsciously. Left unchecked, this can lead to a multitude of transgressions, including rape.
And now to some quotes for you to consider…
“If those in charge of our society – politicians, corporate executives, and owners of press and television – can dominate our ideas, they will be secure in their power. They will not need soldiers patrolling the streets. We will control ourselves.”
Howard Zinn
“The most common way people give up their power is by thinking they don’t have any.”
Alice Walker
“Power tends to corrupt, and absolute power corrupts absolutely. Great men are almost always bad men...”
John Dalberg-Acton
“Find out just what any people will quietly submit to and you have found out the exact measure of injustice and wrong which will be imposed upon them… The limits of tyrants are prescribed by the endurance of those whom they oppress.”
Frederick Douglass