The Conversion of Power Imbalance to Power Use

Abstract

Emerson's powerldependency theory (1962, 1972a,b) proposes that power use is a direct function of structural power imbalance. Subsequent theoretical development by Cook and Emerson (1978) implies that the form of the function is linear for negotiated exchanges. When exchanges are nonnegotiated, both the form and strength of the relation should depend on whether the opportunity to control another's outcomes is transformed into effective behavior control. An experimental test of the relationship for nonnegotiated exchanges compared four levels of power imbalance for dyads who could earn rewar'ds through an exchange response or an individual response. The results showed that power use was only moderately related to power imbalance. As predicted, the most stable form of the relation showed a departure from linearity when power imbalance was .5. These results were explained by the internal contingencies that the powerful person created to influence the other's behavior; the contingencies reinforced the other's exchange when power imbalance was greater than .5 but not when it was less than or equal to .5.