ABSTRACT
Power clearly is not the only possible choice for the basic analytical category in an examination of stratification. Political power is best known and is usually implied when reference is made to power. The essential feature of this form of power is that it is based on the use, or the threat of use, of physical force. Manipulative power is less conspicuous than the other two forms of power and also less known. It is even more indirect than economic power and consists in control over the minds of other people. Unlike political and economic power, manipulative or persuasive power is less independent and derived more from the other two forms of power. Manipulative power is used to coerce psychologically. Teachers are hired to mold the minds of the younger generations. The unequal distribution of power generates two other important social inequalities: unequal consumable wealth and unequal social prestige.
