Power is the ability to influence another party; it is the ability to force or motivate another party to do what you want. A central concept in pragmatic nonviolence is that power can derive from three dynamics:
- Power through noncooperation
- Power through bystander intervention
- Power through persuasion
Power Through Noncooperation
- This refers to the principle that a party has some power if an action depends to some extent on its cooperation.
- The amount of power a party has depends on whether there are alternatives preferable to gaining its cooperation. If alternatives exist and are less costly than the investment required to gain its cooperation, then the party has little power. If no alternatives exist or the alternatives are relatively more costly, then the party has little power.
- Power through noncooperation is a direct power. The capacity it provides to influence others does not depend on the help of members outside of your group or on persuading your opponent to adopt your view. Noncooperation directly imposes costs on your opponent.
The structure of this concept of power is simple. Its dynamics, however, can be complex.
- When more than one person must avoid cooperation for the group to have power, questions surface about how to forge and maintain group unity. Noncooperation brings it own set of costs. At some point, those costs may outweigh the costs of cooperation.
- There can be risk in evaluating whether another party has viable alternatives. Although illogical in the short-term, a party can decide to let itself be hurt temporarily if they think the process will hurt the other party more and perhaps even destroy the other party. If decision-making becomes very emotion, a party may even decide to let itself suffer more or be destroyed rather than compromise its position.
- If the action one party wants does not depend on the cooperation of the other party, then no power derives from non-cooperation. If another party is ruthless, some actions that traditionally require cooperation because of convention can become actions that can occur unilaterally.
Power Through Bystander Intervention
- This refers to the phenomenon of individuals taking action to help a person or group they observe in a situation requiring help. A demonstration may be targeted at making a conflict explicit and motivating third-party observers to help a nonviolent group.
- Bystander intervention is a mediated power. It depends on the help of members outside of your group and on their power to persuade your opponent or to directly impose costs on your opponent.
Power Through Persuasion
- This refers to the ability to use nonviolent action to help convince an opponent to change his or her heart and mind. Through persuasion, change depends on your opponent changing his or her mind.
- Because it is dependent on members outside your group, persuasion is a mediated power.
For decades, psychologists have studied factors that influence persuasion:
- A speaker’s credibility
- The order of arguments
- The leading nature of arguments
- Simple discussion of an issue
- An audience’s involvement
- The effect of fear
Psychologists have also studied factors more typical of nonviolent action than typical verbal or written arguments. Under the name of minority influence, psychologists have studied what minority groups can do to persuade a majority group of its opinion and how the persuasion occurs. Briefly, laboratory research indicates that groups that are consistent in their minority views (both among themselves and over time) and appear to be sacrificing for their views, induce members in the majority to take a closer look at the minority position. When logic is the norm, a majority member’s greater scrutiny can lead him or her to change his or her position.