ABSTRACT
This chapter explores social psychology by analyzing the fundamental concepts of power and influence. A minimum set of influence relationships are proposed which we think exhaust the kinds of dyadic interactions persons can experience, and which may serve as the basis of a novel and coherent perspective of social psychology. The concept of power, or Macht, has generated a great deal of controversy among social scientists of all disciplines. One reason is that the concept includes so much of the content of interest to each discipline. A number of writers have concluded that the study of power and influence may well be coextensive with their particular field of interest. There has been a growing consensus among social scientists which accepts a series of qualifying conditions regarding those types of interpersonal relationships which may be considered power-relevant. Social power has been defined grossly as coextensive with all interpersonal causation.
