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December 2011

ON “POWER OVER” VS. “POWER WITH”
(From Glossary of Relational-Cultural Key Terms, JBMTI, Wellesley Centers for Women)

By Anita Frankel, MA, MFT

“The Occupy movement strives for what some therapists call a “power-with” model of discussion, as opposed to the "power-over" one. The idea is that we all deserve a chance to be persuasive with each other, and that unity of purpose is most powerful when it’s a product of maximum inclusion. With a group containing of hundreds of people, it can be clumsy and unwieldy, but more often than not, it works.”

Power Over

A concept, in many societies, that people can only feel safe and productive if they exercise power over others, keeping the others in a less advantaged position. The dominant group exercises power over other groups and individuals and does not encourage mutually empowering relationships. This model leads to disconnections and violations of relationships.

Power With

Concept that more can be accomplished through collaborative efforts than through hierarchical arrangements, building on the notion that creativity and action develop in good connections. "Power with" grows as it empowers others and stands in opposition to "power over," which accrues through directing and controlling others