In the previous article, I discussed the existence of power in relationships. In this article, I will describe how this power is often expressed. For the sake of simplicity, I will categorize power into two dimensions and four distinct groups. The two dimensions of power are aggression and control, both of which I would argue are key components of power. Think about it- someone who is in power has more control over a situation than someone who doesn’t, and so more authority to also use aggression.

Let’s take a look at the aggression dimension first. It consists of two groupings– direct and indirect. Direct refers to overt aggression, both physical and verbal, and clear action and intent. In other words, it is clearly visible. That doesn’t mean that power itself is overt, just the usage. Someone can verbally abuse someone, for example, without either party acknowledging that the aggression could only exist in a an environment of power disparity.  Indirect power is less obvious and often invisible. It is usually covert by definition. A perfect example of this is what people refer to when they call someone passive-aggressive, which refers to  the use of aggression by withholding or doing something behind someone’s awareness.

As mentioned, the second dimension of power is control. This dimension can also be broken into two separate groupings– internal and external. Internal control is what people think of when they refer to the term “dominance.” Although dominance is often confused with its counterpart, domineering–which I will explore next– to describe someone who is abusive, it actually has a quite different meaning. In this […]