Blog #2 Part 3 Forms of Power

When it comes to power in any sort of relationship they can be very different depending on the person you are associating yourself with.  There are five different forms of powers that come into play with a relationship that you are in with someone. Reward power is a popular one that is often seen in a workplace. Having the reward power over someone means you have the ability to give them something they want. This is most commonly seen when a boss has the power over an employee to raise their pay. So this means one party has the power to reward, hint the name of the form, to reward the other party. Now even though this party mostly focuses on the environment of a work space there's another form of power that also can happen there but in a more negative way. Coercive power is the opposite of reward power. This is the power to punish someone. For instance when someone has to go to court for a ticket, the judge has the coercive power of you. The judge decides what type of punishment you will be facing. This can also be seen in a parent child relationship where when the child does something they should not be doing and the parent can decide a punishment for the child. This means the child will not always like the given punishment. 

    Another form of power that is popular is when someone will do better because they like who they are doing the work for. Referent power is when someone is influenced to do better or do something for someone they like. When a celebrity promotes a product and you really like that celebrity you may be more influenced to buy that product because you like them. Another way this power takes place is when you listen to advice someone may be giving because you look up to them or they are a friend of yours, so therefore you take their opinion or advice to heart because you respect this person. Altogether this power affects you to do better when you like or admire the other person you are doing the work for.  

Legitimate power, a boss has the ability to call their employers' and assign projects, a policeman can arrest a citizen for not following the laws, and a teacher is the head of having assigned grades for their students. These are positions that come with some type of individual power. Power affects more than personal relationships.  it has a toll on social groups, professional organizations, and governments as well. When it comes to Legitimate power, we basically have to listen and cooperate. I mean, we still have our right, but when it comes to certain situations, you are expected to know how to go about things.

Expert power comes from your technical abilities, skills, and competence. Expert power is power based upon employees' perception. This power is from having some sort of knowledge. For example, when it comes to expert power, you should have the ability to know what customers want, even before they can articulate it. You should know the ins and outs of your store. Simply having a greater mind of things is expert power.

Blog #2 Part 2: Conflict in Relationships

While conflict is something that everyone wants to avoid, it is good to know that it is natural in relationships. Relationships are not always smooth, but a little conflict here and there does not mean that your relationship is unhealthy. Conflict will always arise when there is a disagreement of opinion. Maybe you want to cheese pizza, but your partner wants pepperoni. The thing that matters most is not necessarily the conflict itself, but how you deal with or solve the conflict.

Interpersonal conflict can be sorted into 3 dimensions: content, relational, and procedural. The content dimension is the specific reason from which the conflict started. For example, say you get into an argument with someone because they hit you. The assault would be the content of the conflict. Next, would be the relational dimension. Another part of the conflict is the fact that you don’t like this person at all now because they tried to injure you. This would be the relational dimension of the conflict, which will take time to heal. Lastly, is the procedural dimension of conflict, which are the “rules or expectations individuals follow for how to engage in conflict”. Some people like to avoid conflict or talking about the issue, while others like to directly engage the other in a discussion. To resolve a conflict effectively, you must find common ground by means of communication.

Conflict can also be dealt with directly or indirectly. The more common way of expressing conflict is directly. When most people have conflicts, they deal with them openly by talking or arguing about the situation. For example, if I had an argument with my roommate about keeping the room clean, we could talk about it directly and communicate to see what our point of views are. The other way of expressing conflict is indirectly. For example, with the same conflict about keeping the room clean with my roommate, instead of talking with my roommate I may sweep everything to his or break his things when he is not there. This is an example of expressing conflict indirectly, hoping it will resolve itself eventually. Conflict must be handled accordingly or it can be harmful to personal well-being.

Blog #2 Part 1: The Costs and Rewards of Relationships

In class we discussed the costs and rewards tied to our personal relationships with others. Relationships do a lot for us: whether that be emotionally through feeling happiness or gaining emotional support, or even in times of needing money or a place to stay for the weekend. We invest these things into our close friendships because we have a genuine sense of trust and respect with them. For example, when a friend of mine and I are out to eat, and we realize it is cash only, I pay for my friend’s meal because she only has a debit card and I have cash. It’s situations like this that show who you are close with, because if I was there with a group of strangers I most likely would not offer to pay and instead suggest we go somewhere else. 

On the other hand, relationship also have some costs. There may be times when you need to spend the day with a friend when you really want to be doing something by yourself. Other instances like offering your physical energy to a friend to help them move also counts as a relationship cost. Sacrificing things like time and physical energy deem worth it to us because of the outcome the other person receives. We want our close friends and family to feel like they matter, and sacrificing little things is just one way you can give them that honor.  

Overall, friendships provide us with plenty of benefits that out-weigh the costs. It’s funny to think that a friendship can keep you healthy, but as the book states, it really can!  The happiness like we mentioned that comes as a reward actually wards of negative stress-effects due to the serotonin we receive from interactions with our close relationships. They also look out for our safety and well-being, something you cannot rely on a stranger to do. It is important to remember to look out for each other and to make sure that you don’t focus on what you are getting out of the relationship, but what you can do to elevate your relationship. 

Blog #1 Gender Roles

Think about one thing that is important to you in your life. Do you feel this is a part of you, it defines you, it shows people a part of who you are? Now think about that thing, and ask yourself is this something that people think I would be better at if I were male? How much does gender role play a part in the things we love? The main question here is, what would you do if someone told you, you can not do the thing you love or hold close to you well because it is more meant for men to do?  Well, my answer is that they should find the word, androgyny. This is someone who is not concerned about gender - appropriate ways and feels that people should have an equal choice in what they want to do and femine and masculine titles do not define them. For instastance, sports have always been more tied with the male gender. Why? Because they are strong? Taller? Have more muscle? Are faster? No it is because people may see that only males can succeed in sports and physical activity. Now I want you to think to yourself, no matter if you are a man or a woman reading this, how many women do you know that play a sport or have played a sport and that was important to them? If you can think of at least one person then you know someone that in a way has gone against culture gender rules. Now yes you may be thinking, women can play sports there are women's teams everywhere today. And while your statement is true think to yourself how many professional WOMEN'S sports teams have you gone to see in the last? Personally being an athlete myself and being a women, being involved in sports is a big part of me and my life  and if someone said that I was not good enough because I am a girl it makes me wonder if people really do understand that just because you are not the same as someone else does that really make you better than them?


Here are some links to youtube videos that talk about women and their involvement in sports today and how they have evolved.

https://youtu.be/aR3htgTnzRs

https://youtu.be/0d-XdwIlUO8