Reframing Power
Unpacking the Interplay of Power and Agency
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.7146/irtp.v3i1.167367Keywords:
power, agency, subjectivity, social critique, science critiqueAbstract
This article proposes a rethinking of power as a foundational concept in human action and agency. It presents a framework that situates power as an emergent property, arising from the interplay of personal agency, social structures, and material realities. Moving beyond traditional notions of power as dominance or force, the article highlights the dimensions of contextuality, and subjective representation in understanding power as related to the possibilities for action. The discussion reveals that power is embedded within dynamic person-world contexts which bridge the dichotomies of individual versus group, the natural versus the societal, and objective reality versus subjective meaning. The article further argues that this reconceptualization has significant implications for understanding the relationship between power, science, and politics, and also advocates for a reorientation of science to include the study of power as the capacity for open-ended action. It warns that failing to distinguish between force (causal productivity) and power (agency and relevance) risks undermining science and psychology’s own foundational dimensions and erodes human agency.
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