ABSTRACT
The notion of controlling or acting on resistant materials is implicit in the idea of power as skill or capacity. This chapter adopts a modified version of Russell's definition: Power is the capacity of some persons to produce intended and foreseen effects on others. The terms in this definition require detailed analysis to show how they cope with major problems and confusions in the conceptual analysis of power. There are five such problems: intentionality of power; the effectiveness of power; the latency of power; asymmetry and balance in power relations; and the nature of the effects produced by power. But imputations of power based on the 'anticipated reactions' of the power subject confront a number of difficulties. Bertrand de Jouvenel has distinguished three variable attributes of all power relations, which greatly facilitate the comparison of different types of power relations and structures. These power relations are: extensiveness of power; comprehensiveness of power; and intensive power.
