ABSTRACT
This chapter considers that it is important to think about power at different, mutually interacting levels and to consider the further question: "How can systemic thinking help us address the paradoxes of power in society and in intimate relationships?" We think that, at both these levels, the use or abuse of power and the belief in power and control are inextricably linked and that beliefs about power are invariably gendered. Riane Eisler, in her book The Chalice and the Blade, also explores the history of human society and the ways in which "dominator" cultures have superseded "partnership" cultures. This has happened to such an extent that we now believe that dominator cultures are the only ones that can exist. Feminists have highlighted the ascendancy of a "male" ideology with its emphasis on hierarchy, competitiveness, abstract rules, and loyalty to institutions over intimate personal relationships.
