“Power dynamics, patterns of mutual influence, define the ongoing interactions between fetus & mother, infant & parent, between romantic partners, childhood friends, teens, people at work, & groups in conflict. Power is the medium through which we relate to one another. Power is about making a difference in the world by influencing others.” —Dacher Keltner, The Power Paradox
To become a “good” writer or an “impactful” thespian, one must develop an acute awareness of human behavior. There’s just no other way around it: if you’re commenting on how people interact or why we do the things we do then you have to understand what makes an individual tick, what motivates their decisions. This is macro-psychology. It’s not only about experiences, upbringing, education & traumas, it’s also about time & place. What era did they live through? What are the dynamics of their society? Their country? Their community?
POWER: your capacity to make a difference in the world by influencing the states of other people.
The Power Paradox offers a highly insightful look at these very aspects of human nature. Keltner’s writings define the universal commonalities that affect us all which then establish the very basis on which we shape our behavior, both consciously & unconsciously.
But don’t let the title fool you: This is not an analysis of our world’s leaders & influencers exclusively. Instead, The Power Paradox scales to the realities of each of our experiences in the world because we’re all involved in power struggles daily whether we recognize them or not. Each interaction we have with other individuals, with animals, with mother nature itself or even within ourselves is a situation fundamentally shaped by who we are in relation to who –or what –we’re dealing with.
Our position of power comparative to theirs.
STATUS: the respect that you enjoy from other people in your social network; the esteem they direct to you. Status goes with power often but not always.
This is the very basis of why great performances on stage & on screen resonate. It’s what makes a story powerful, poignant & compelling. We as readers or observers witness that humanity. We recognize that experience personally or we can envision what it would be like to be thrust into that situation. It’s revelatory to us & we want to understand how we might navigate the circumstances vicariously. The surprises come when it’s handled differently by a given character than how we would imagine it to be.
This is why we relate to some stories but not to others.
CONTROL your capacity to determine the outcomes in your life. You can have complete control over your life — think of the reclusive hermit — but have no power.
So much about the most disturbing aspects of human nature is rooted in the working fundamentals of the desire for acquisition of power in our world as defined by its three primary elements: status, control & social class. Racism. Greed. Arrogance. Sexual violence & discrimination. Stigma. Resource access & distribution.
Yet these are the very chords that, when struck, resonate purest with each of us regardless of where we stand on the given issue. They become the universal commonalities of the human condition we seek out time & again in search of validation, provocation or illumination.
Life’s a beautiful struggle. The beauty in our moments are what give it value. The struggle is what gives it meaning. The art of reflection can give us pause & hopefully inspiration to be better.
Add The Power Paradox to your reading list. It’s a lesson in humanity which is why it’s also a study of story theater & drama. It’s worth it.