The Way Power Operates within a Contemporary Family - Essay Example

Power and Family The way power operates within a contemporary family Submitted 8th February 2009 This paper would be about the role that is played by power within the family structure and how it is used to define the operations of a family. If one was to simply define the word power itself, it could define the way control is used to organize the external environment and the settings. In most of the case, the word authority is seen as a perfect replacement for power itself and the extent of the influence wielded by someone in a family, organization or even a nation foretells the extent of the power itself. In sociological terminology, the use of power has been closely linked to the use of opower itself. It is evident in a number of the works of certain sociologists such as Steven Lukes" Power: a radical view" where the three dimensions of power are discussed and evaluated. Power is seen as in the numerous types of the actions and activities that humans engage in and power results in certain activities becoming possible. This paper would review the role of power within a contemporary family setting and it would be so a number of levels -single parent setting, gay couples etc. The studies carried out by Michael Foucault and Max Weber provides key insight into the working and functionality of the family and the role of power as well. Power can exist in different forms and the balance of the power in relationships can also vary. The sociologists examine the different ways that power plays a key role in the relationships in terms of the shifts in the balance etc. In most of the evaluations, it is done in those cases where the power in the relationships is either equal or almost equal. Power is two sorts; primary and secondary. The primary force results in the direct use of force while the secondary use of power or rather coercion is used to define the use of threat by force and social constraint. Power can be held in different forms and ways such as delegated authority, social class, personal or group charisma, expertise, persuasion, fame, violence, operations of group dynamics etc. According to Max Weber and his theory about power, there are certain groups such as classes, status groups which attempt to achieve what they desire even if they face opposition from others. It is argued by Weber that status honor is actually considered to be a more important source of social group action than even class etc and that is since status honor can be viewed in a number of ways and which work for the specific interests of the group only. Effectively, through this medium the power is exercised as well. Power itself was defined as the chance that any individual can achieve even if met by opposing forces. Weber defined domination as "as the probability that certain specific commands (or all commands) will be obeyed by a given group of persons" (Weber, p. 212)" In the context of a family set-up, there a re different ways through the dominance or power relationship can be gauged. It can be viewed in terms of the physical stretch that as the source of power or the use of threat in order to wield the authority. Whatever, the source, there are a number of ways through which power can be wielded and expressed as well. In the case of a nuclear family set-up, in which there are parents and children involved, the sense of power and authority is usually expressed by the older set of the set up. It can be evident through the voluntary compliance and obedience of the children. And if not voluntary, there is an interest involved in doing so as the parents after all have the key to the finances and in order the access, certain children given into the authority of their respective parents. Another important aspect of power that comes across is the fact the obedience is not linked merely with a short term relationship but in fact is actually a sustained relationship of dominance and subordination which results in unequal treatment being met out. The same can be said for the widespread of the differences in the dominant relationship which exists between families. The parents have established a pattern of dominance through this sustained relationship which has been created over the years and it has been accepted on a general level. As Weber lay out in his theory, as dominance contuse for a considerable period of time it becomes a phenomenon which is accepted by society as a norm. Traditional authority, as defined by Weber, the traditional rights of a clan, family, or group is accepted by the lower subordinates. These rights are practiced in the tribal, family, clan structures. The different types of traditional authority that can exist can be: the rule by the elders or patriarchal where positions are inherited. Patriarchal is by far the most important type of domination the legitimacy of which rests upon tradition. Patriarchalism means the authority of the father, the husband, the senior of the house, the sib elder over the members of the household and sib; the rule of the master and patron over bondsmen, serfs, freed men; of the lord over the domestic servants and household officials' of the prince over house- and court-officials, nobles of office, clients, vassals; of the patrimonial lord and sovereign prince over the 'subjects.' (Gerth and Mills, p. 296). The above can be applied to those set-ups where the leader on the basis of his gender or age will emerge as the main authority figure. Hence, it can be seen that in most of the conservative families the set up is such that the "man of the house" is the one who wields all the authority and the power. This type of authority can also be applied to male-female relationships and families. In these families, even the mother is seen as a subordinate to the man in the house. The children view the father is the final voice of authority and hence, the dominant roes are pretty much established by this patriarchal set up. Even in gay relationships are based on relationships which have one gender, there is an underlying sense of dominance which exists in the relationship. Certain known lesbian relationships such as those of the Ellen Degeneres who has claimed to be wearing the "pants' -indicating that she has the role if the man in the relationship and hence the dominant one. In most of the developing countries, the power vests with the man due to feudal set up and the patriarchal mindset which creates the image of the man as the bread winner and hence, the dominant one. According to Weber, the traditional set up of authority results in the creation of inequality and over time if there is no claim to oppose him, this authority becomes of a dominant nature. According to Marx, this is due to the economic factor but as Weber claimed it was due to the religious reasons and the customs set up which resulted in such a layout. Therefore, in these families set ups all important decisions such as the marriage of the kids and the buying of property etc all rests with the father. Even in more developed nations, this type of set up can be found to be common. As the development of the society took place, certain developments also took place within the family set up as well. Over time as the world wars took place and the role of women as the bread winner emerged, there were integral shits in the power set up as well. Man was no longer assumed to be the integral authority figure as suddenly, the woman was also aiding the purpose of bringing the food to the table. This development led to the woman becoming the authority figure as not only was she controlling the domestic affairs but even her financial viability made her an important figure in the power cycle. Hence, with this development no longer were the children assuming the father to be the final word of authority but the women were also seen as key authority figures. The whole concept of women being subservient was replaced as now women were treated as equals in the relationship and were given as much control over the household and financial matters as men themselves. Another form of authority which is used to define the power existing within the contemporary family set ups is the legal authority. As defined by Weber; "rational grounds - resting on a belief in the legality of enacted rules and the right of those elevated to authority under such rules to issues commands" (Weber, p. 215). This form of authority could have developed in a number of ways and methods. The systems of convention, laws and regulations existing in the different societies and there are different principles of legalities that can occur as well. The west has been liked to rationality and bureaucracy by Weber. In the sense of the family set up, the legality can across in situations where the children have no parents alive and have been handed over to a guardian by law. In this case, the sense of dominance and authority is established by law itself and by the governing authorities. The children are bound to the authority of these guardians as they exert control over their financial assets and are obliged to look after their needs and wants. The sense of authority is one which in certain cases is not voluntarily accepted as there are numerous cases where the children have opposed the guardianship of the guardians and have made claims of being exploited and mistreated. One of the more open views about power and human activity and its linkage was established by Michael Foucault who stated that" Power is everywhere...because it comes from everywhere." -Aldrich, Robert and Wotherspoon, Gary (Eds.), 2001 The analysis of power by Foucault is founded on the concept of technologies of power. According to Foucault's works, discipline is a mixture of a number of complex technologies which was demonstrated in his work" Discipline and Power". According to Foucault, power is exericsed with the sense of intention. He weighed the options thorugh which power was actually exercised and all. According to Foucault, the sense of power si not through violent or physicl means but rather through ways which result in the person indulging in activities which the person would otherwise have done but does not do so unless the authority usage does not make the person do so. The works of Foucault link knowledge and power. The form of covert power that is outlined by Foucault is done so in a manner which allows the use of power through people rather by relying on people. According to him as the belief ssytems gain more and more importance and momentum , than the people come to accept them as the final word of authoirty and as knowledge. These belief systems devise the figure of authority to be people such as the religious leaders or even the the medical doctors etc. these belief systems outline out thoughts about what we perceive as right and wrong. Due to this belie system, there are certain ideas or thoughts which become illegal or immoral and hence, the society shuns them. These belief systems allow the people and their thoughts be monitored in a manner that these beliefs become the unquestioned truths which are then accepted by society overall. Resistance is even defined by power as it is opposition to power. Domination" is not "that solid and global kind of domination that one person exercises over others, or one group over another, but the manifold forms of domination that can be exercised within society." (ibid, p.96) "One should try to locate power at the extreme of its exercise, where it is always less legal in character." (ibid, p.97) "The analysis [of power] should not attempt to consider power from its internal point of view and...should refrain from posing the labyrinthine and unanswerable question: 'Who then has power and what has he in mind What is the aim of someone who possesses power' Instead, it is a case of studying power at the point where its intention, if it has one, is completely invested in its real and effective practices." (ibid, p.97) "Let us ask...how things work at the level of on-going subjugation, at the level of those continuous and uninterrupted processes which subject our bodies, govern our gestures, dictate our behaviours, etc....we should try to discover how it is that subjects are gradually, progressively, really and materially constituted through a multiplicity of organisms, forces, energies, materials, desires, thoughts, etc. We should try to grasp subjection in its material instance as a constitution of subjects." (ibid, p.97) The above quotes all explain the fact that power is created through a number of forms and mediums and its impact on the family structure is clearly visible as well. In the case of Foucault and his studies, power is evident through the belief an in the case of more conservative societies, the power would belong to the father figure while in the case of those societies where the set up is concerned with the economic dependence and all, than the power can be with the bread winner even if it happens to be the kid who is earning it. In those family set ups where the family has been split up and there are single parent households, the power structure is no longer that clear as both the parents seek to place their own authority measures and hence, the power is resented by the children and the authority gets diminished as the court also has a hand to play whether the authority does truly lie with the parent or not. In these cases, the sense of true dominance is pretty weak as the power is constantly disputed and the court is seen as a mediating device. The children sense this division of power and therefore, the key role of dominance is questioned by the subservient in this case. In today's contemporary world, the power balance has changed in certain instances where the parents have come to feel their sense of authority questioned by the children due to the ever available law enforcement agencies etc which seek to provide them with the necessary protection. Hence, the children do not feel the same sense of dominance and protection as was once felt by them. The one standing sense of dominance and subservience that existed has long been replaced since those days as the society has undergone a change. The domineering nature of the parents is still present but not on the scale as it was before. In cases, where physical power has been used the sense of dominance has been retained or even the use of mental power. In today's world, money has also become a powerful motivator as we see cases of children being linked to trust funds etc and hence, being obliged to follow the parents' word of law. The above through use of examples and also of theories of sociologists has outlined ways in which the power structure has changed over time and how in contemporary world, the traditional sense of authority has changed as well. Whether it is the nuclear family set up or the gay couples or even the single parent families, the sense of true dominance has been truly lost over time and other motivating devices have come into play in order to make the subservient ones truly subservient. References Aldrich, Robert and Wotherspoon, Gary (Eds.) (2001). Who's Who in Contemporary Gay & Lesbian History: From World War II to the Present Day. New York: Routledge. ISBN 0-415-22974-X. Clastres, Pierre, Society against the State, 1974 Dowding, Keith (1996). Power. University of Minnesota Press. French, J.R.P., & Raven, B. (1959). 'The bases of social power,' in D. Cartwright (ed.) Studies in Social Power. Ann Arbor, MI: University of Michigan Press.. Tarnow, Eugen (2000). A quantitative model of the amplification of power through order and the concept of group defense. http://cogprints.org/4275/ Pip Jones "Introducing Social Theory", Polity Press, Cambridge, 2008, p. 93 Grabb, Edward G., Theories of Social Inequality: Classical and Contemporary Perspectives, second edition, Toronto, Holt, Rinehart and Winston, 1990. Hadden, Richard W., Sociological Theory: An Introduction to the Classical Tradition, Peterborough, Broadview Press, 1997. Ritzer, George, Sociological Theory, third edition, New York, McGraw-Hill. Weber, Max, Economy and Society: An Outline of Interpretive Sociology, New York, Bedminster Press, 1968. . Read More