ABSTRACT
This chapter analyzes the kinds of power one member of a dyad may have over the other and considers the ways in which power can be used to produce changes in the other's behavior and attitudes. A traditional way of beginning this discussion is to relate the "cohesiveness" of a group to the internal power of the group and then to predict various outcomes, such as conformity behavior, from internal power. If one postulates the existence of a need for power or dominance, then this would be true by definition: the possession and exercise of power would be rewarding in itself. The ability to affect one another's outcomes thus provides a basis for producing mutual changes in values and attitudes. This is of great importance in dyads where the interdependence is quite high: as values converge through mutual influence, the relationship tends to become more satisfactory because of reduction in interpersonal conflicts and related costly activities.
