2). After reading Chapter 6 in its entirety, answer the following question: How does it feel when you are in an unbalanced power relationship? What is it like to have more power? Less power?
I believe that being in an unbalanced power relationship is
a normal part of life. We are surrounded by an imbalance of power nearly
everywhere will be in our lives, be it with our families, at our jobs, with our
friends, or in relationships. While ideally everyone would have equal power in
relationships, this is just not feasible, nor would it necessarily be a good
thing. Sometimes feeling like you have more power can be a good thing. However,
with more power also comes more responsibility. Being in a relationship in
which you have less power can also be a positive and a negative experience. For
example, when you are a child, having less power can sometimes be beneficial in
that your parents take on many of your responsibilities that are difficult for
you to do on your own. Negatively, this also limits your control in what decisions
are made on your behalf. Less power can also be negative in relationships and
employee/employer relationships in which one person is feeling subordinated or
taken advantage of. Ultimately, these balances (or unbalances) of power are
something that we have to get used to working with, because essentially, they
are all over the place.
I agree with you that unbalanced power relationships will always exist. If we look at the workplace there is always going to be someone above us or below us. Therefore, it is unevitable. I think what's important is how we behave in those certain roles and respond to those in different power roles then us. We have to be able to be fair and understanding that these types of roles are going to exist and we have to make the most of them. True, some people abuse the power given to them but that doesn't mean we should do the same.
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed your post this week for a few different reasons. For example, I agree that unbalanced power relationships are inevitable and something that we are just going to have to deal with throughout our lives no matter what. Rather then avoiding them and being afraid of them; embracing them will be our best option. Power is definitely responsibility and it is important that we understand that especially we were the ones with the power. The decision’s that have to be made are tough, but necessary. You made many good points in your blog and it was definitely something that I could relate to.
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