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17 SEPTEMBER 2008
NO 1349
Power struggles
It is a great mistake to think that the worker holds all or even most of the cards when it comes to the balance of power with residents. The youngsters normally have a great deal of power and are always on the lookout for more. And this, it is sometimes necessary to remind ourselves, is the way it should be. We offer the children opportunity to exercise their autonomy through the careful regulation of our day-today dealings with them. It is not so much a matter of amount of power but that we have a responsibility to see that that power is exercised selectively and with constructive aims in view. This means that we have to think continually about where the power "is" in a particular relationship and where it should be flowing. That is why the French and Raven (1960) analysis is so helpful. The first power base, reward, is covered in point 10. The second, coercion, is dealt with under point 11. Legitimacy, the third power base, falls to some extent under point 6 as does the fourth, referent power. French and Raven's final power base, expert power, can best be covered under points 1 and 2.
If there is one thing we as child care workers should be expert at, it
is getting matters clear with youngsters and clarifying their
misperceptions (and ours). Our expert power derives not from the
diplomas we might hold, qualifications that may impress administrators
but that do not cut much ice with our clients; the youngsters can see
expertness in action. Our efforts at patient and empathic negotiation
and our struggles to find just the right words necessary to convey a
point do not usually go altogether unnoticed or unappreciated. The
children very often do not want to engage in power struggles and notice
our efforts to avert outright conflict, especially when this can be done
with face-saving on all sides. And if they do get into power struggles
with us, it is our skill which counts in ensuring that both the children
and ourselves emerge not just unscathed but a step further down the road
that leads to mutual regard and respectful independence.
BARBARA HARSCH
Harsch, B. (1983). Power struggles between Child Care
Worker and Youth. Child Care Quarterly, 12, 4. p. 268.
REFERENCE
French, R.P. and Raven, B. (1960). The bases of social power. In D. Cartwright and A. Zander (Eds.). Group Dynamics. New York. Harper and Row. pp. 601-623.
