Miller Chapter 12- Power and Violence

power

the ability to influence the behavior of others and to resist their influence on us.​

sources of power

From an interdependency perspective, power is based

on the control of valuable resources that are desired by others.

controlling access to resources mores that possessing them.

power is reduced when

the desired resources are readily available elsewhere

principle of lesser interest

in any partnership, the person who has less interest in continuing and maintaining the relationship has more power in that partnership

two different broad types of power

fate control and behaviour control

fate control

the ability to affect a partner's outcomes

behaviour control

Allows one to encourage, but not compel, desired behaviour from a partner

in almost all relationships...

the partners both have power power over each other, so that each is able to get what they want some of the time

types of resources

Reward Power

Coercive Power

Legitimate Power

Referent Power

Expert Power

Informational Power

reward power

power that comes from the ability to provide rewards or favors

coercive power

the ability to levy unwanted punishments, doing something the partner doesn't like, or take aways something they do like

legitimate power

when one partner has a reasonable right - by dint of authority, equity or reciprocity - to tell the other what to do

referent power

emerges from respect and love for a partner. affection and adoration from someone provides one some ability to influence that person

expert power

influence based on special skills or knowledge

informational power

When one partner has specific pieces of information that the other wants

cultural patterns that take male dominance for granted

1) the relative sources of men and women differ

2) social norms support and maintain male dominace

3) true equality is so unfamiliar, we're not sure what it looks like

The process of power

Powerful people are:

used to getting what they want

not very good at comprehending other's points of view

those who find themselves in positions of low power

are more likely to be depressed, behave more cautiously, and fear punishment

conversation

men and women behave similarly

but men interrupt women more often, and those who interrupt others are judged to be more powerful

nonverbal behaviour

powerful people:

take up more space,

display more intense facial expressions, and assume less symmetrical posture

men tend to do this more than women

nonverbal sensitivity

Powerful people decode others' nonverbal communications

less accurately than less powerful people do

and women decode others' nonverbal communication better

the irony of nonverbal sensitivity

in being adept users of nonverbal communication, women gain valuable information that can make them more pleasing partners​

on the other hand, this useful and desireable talent may reinforce stereotypes that women are the minions of men​

styles of power

- overt and direct

- indirect

- bilateral strategies (cooperation and reasoning)

- unilateral

bilateral strategies

more-so used by the more powerful partner

unilateral strategies

act independently, often used by the less powerful partner

men/women and power strategies

heterosexual men used more bilateral and direct strategies while women used more unilateral and indirect strategies

personality and power strategies

people high in instrumentality tend to use direct, bilateral strategies

the outcome of power

Spouses are much more likely to share decision making than they used to be, and those who do enjoy happier marriages than those who have marriages in which one partner is dominant.

relationships appear to be more stable and happier on the whole when both partners matter to the same extent

the two faces of power

When they are committed to a relationship, many people use power benevolently, generously enhancing their partners' well-being as well as their own. Unfortunately, this does not always occur.

men usually, seek to be top dogs in the relationship and tend to be controlling and domineering

violence

involves acts carried out with the intention of physically hurting another person

range from little harm to severe injury

the prevalence of violence

24% of the women and 14% of the men in the U.S. have encountered severe physical violence from an intimate partner.

And the rates of such violence are even higher elsewhere.​

30% of the world's women have been assaulted by a domestic partner.

Types of Couple Violence

1. Situational Couple Violence

2. Intimate Terrorism

3. Violent Resistance

Situational Couple Violence (SCV)

Violence provoked by a particular situation that does not involve a quest for control in the relationship.

Intimate Terrorism (IT)

violence that is motivated by a desire to control the other partner

Violent Resistance (VR)

occurs when a partner forcibly fights back against intimate terrorism (IT)

the many facets of intimate terrorism

- using coercion/threats

- intimidation

- emotional abuse

- minimizing, denying, and blaming

- using children

- using male privilege

- economic abuse

frequency of violence types

When intimate partner violence occurs, ​

it is usually situational couple violence (SCV), ​

occasionally intimate terrorism (IT), ​

and only sometimes violent resistance.​

gender and violence

Men and women engage in similar amounts of SCV,​

but a vast majority of those who use it are men.

Eight out of every nine intimate terrorist acts are committed by a men.

Women act violently towards their husbands just as often as men act violently toward their wives.​

​

However, men are more likely to cause injuries.​

the correlates of violence

both types of violence are complex, emerging from various overlapping influences

The I^3 model of SCV perpetuation

instigating triggers, impelling influences and inhibiting influences determine how high or low risk the possibility of situational couple violence is

distal factor

cultural norms, economic conditions, family experiences

dispositional factors

individual personality characteristics that affect a person's behavior

relational factors

the current state of the couples relationship

situational factors

the immediate circumstances

Violence is less likely:

• cultures that promote gender equality

• conscientious people

• couples with good problem solving skills

• sober people

• in cohabiting couples than married couples

• in dating partners than cohabiting partners

the rationales of violence

Wife-abusing men feel superior to women and believe that their aggression is a legitimate response to their wives' disrespect.

They also maintain, because they do not enjoy hurting women and did less damage than they could have, that they are not "real"abusers. ​

Why Don't They All Leave?

- they don't think they'll be better off

- costs of leaving seem too high

- partners are sweet and loving some of the time

- women with high anxiety of abandonment are drawn to possessive, controlling men