Abstract

Social power is usually explained as an actor's ability to influence the behavior of other persons, e.g., by applying sanctions. This paper focuses upon a much less well-known and rather different form of social power: the power to influence the underlying motivation of other actors rather than just their behavior. Power over the motivation of another person concerns not only the goals of the other person but also her wants and preferences. Thus, in contrast to behavior-oriented power, motivation-oriented power induces the development of those wants and preferences most likely to serve a given purpose, thereby reducing the likelihood of resistance and conflict from the outset. The main task of this paper is to analyze this important and hidden form of social power.