Power and Status

Power and Status

Theory of Power and Status

Kemper (2006) defines the theory of power and status as a development from individual interaction with others clarifying that when individuals direct their behavior to one another, power and status are the two dimensions that come in play. A philosophical point of view asserted this theory from its earliest development. Kemper uses the works of early pre-Socratic Greek philosophers like Plato and Empedocles, which have been developed and changed over time by different thinkers.

Power, as perceived by many, is a position with authority, control, and supremacy over others. Goldhamer & Shils (1939), defined power as an individual’s capability to influence the behavior of others to achieve his or her interests and also to gain an advantage of particular circumstances, emphasizing how people utilize the control and authority they possess. Power obligations changes with the choices made by a person, actions are taken, and how they think about different situations. Power is also defined differently by defining giving a specification of real power. While Hagberg (2002) gives another perspective that power is considered authentic if confidence, influence, discipline, impact, and energy that is used to influence the outcome of the behavior and actions of people in the social environment.

Status, on the other hand, is the position that an individual held in society, as stated by Kemper (2006). This may include the influence of wealth, education level, occupation, and other factors that may lead to the ranking of people at different status. Being on different status levels may affect how people act, think, and make decisions about their lives.

Do Power and Status Affect Criminal Behavior?

Arguments for The Effect of Power and Status on Criminal Behavior

Using this theory, many proponents considered factors both involved with the position of authority and the social position as the major influences of human interaction and acted towards others. An individual may have influential power and energy but not have a high status in the society, and vice versa. Therefore, according to this theory, people treat and act towards others according to their status position and power in society. In the modern social sciences, there is an agreement of including these dimensions exclusively in human relations.

Criminal behavior is the actions that defy the norms and values of a societal setting that are punishable by law. Several factors affect illegal activities of individuals that may include; economic factors, genetic history, political influences, psychological reasons, and social factors.  In this scenario, we consider the impact that power and status have on criminal activities regarding its theory. I agree that power and status as social factors influence illegal actions for the following reasons.

When using power to assess the effects it has on criminal behavior, the aspects involved include; control, authority, confidence, discipline, and the energy to influence situations, individuals may resort to crime to feel the power they desire.

Control. When a person cannot quickly get to control a situation or over others or things, they tend to turn to illegal ways to claim that control. The criminals feel that they cannot convince others to act the adhering to do what they desire for them to do. For instance, sex crimes are said that the offenders feel no control over the other party; they only get that power of control if they forcefully engage them like in rape cases.

Authority. Criminal behavior is manifested when an individual does not acknowledge the command they can have for a situation. They may feel they are denied the power to do things in specific ways or dictate things and people to do what they want. Using violence to approach a case is a sign that the individual to the individual is a way of manifesting the authority they imagine to have to contact the problems that surround them.

Confidence. Crime can be influenced by the feeling of being non-confident and having little belief that individually, they can do fine in a given situation. A person can engage in crimes like just to prove how confident they can get in cases at hand.

Discipline. Even though disciple is a high value that condemns crime, some people may be forced into criminal actions just to prove that they disciplined towards the commands they are given. A person’s level of discipline determines whether they can agree to get into criminal activities or not.

Energy. This feeling of power can lead a person to crime in a quest to prove that they are not weak or weakened by situations.  Criminals tend to engage in some activities like riots, destruction of property, or fighting others just for the sake of manifesting their energy towards them. This proves that their urge to show they have power has pushed them into crime.

The social status of an individual may affect their behavior toward crime involvement. Socioeconomic factors, education level, peer groups, and social affiliations are some of the key influencers of social behavior. These factors can cause deviancy from the societal norms in different instances, as discussed.

Economic status. Poverty has proven to be a significant cause of people engaging in crimes like robbery and even homicide cases due to the need to have a stable economic situation (Brown & Males, 2011). Poor people with the urge to attaining a high financial status tend to involve in such crimes to rectify their situation. Even people with a top financial condition may, at times, engage in crimes of fraud and embezzlement just to maintain their status in society. In a study done in 2012 by Agnew & Brezina, they claim that for rich people to manage their economic situation, they tend to engage in corporate and state crimes.

Education. When one feels that they do not fit in well or that they can get jobs or be treated like others because of their academic levels, they may forge such documentation to earn them a better place in society. This has resulted in cases of fake doctors and other professions that people have used in the past in the pretense of having such skills just for high status in the setting. Even though such crimes are majorly caused by the need for rise in their economic situation, some people do them to get treated better and interact with people with the same educational background and not feel left out. In another angle, education has been proven to prevent a higher rate of criminal behavior. A higher level of education has been considered to lessen the intention of an individual to engage in crime (Groot & Brink, 2010).

Interaction and peer groups. An individual’s social status of interaction in the society and peer engagements can influence them into crime if they keep bad company. The people they interact with can convince someone into sin for them to fit in. Peers often affect one’s behavior by influencing them into drug abuse, fights, and gang affiliation just to maintain the status of continued interaction and friendship.  Keeping good company and interacting with positive-minded individuals in society helps reduce cases of crime and such behaviors.

Arguments against the effect of power and status on criminal behavior

It can be noted that power and status do not entirely affect criminal behavior. The effect these dimensions have on criminal action may be categorized as indirect but mostly personal choices of those involved. An argument that power and status do not affect related criminal behavior, giving out the reasons below.

First, exercising power and status is most times regulated by the law. There are societal laws, values, and norms that govern how people act and exercise whatever powers or privileges they have. Engaging in any crime by use of their ability or status is defying these rules of the society.  It can, therefore, be blamed on the laxity to enforce these laws on these people who abuse their power or status, but not the fact that they wanted to show their behavior through their influence or state in the society.

Secondly, lacking the power or high-status factors cannot be used as an excuse to engage in crime. As discussed already that people who feel underprivileged in a social set up may be compelled to participate in certain activities that defy social norms, it is entire reason enough. Engaging in crime is entirely a personal decision since one can work hard towards achieving the status they desire and seek ways and knowledge that may help them get the influence on others. Therefore, it is wise to say that this theory of power and status does not contribute to any criminal behavior; instead, it is a personal choice and decision.

Finally, criminal behavior is affected by many other factors that the power and status theory is just a mention. Hagan & Daigle (2018) emphasized their study on other factors; genetic factors, psychological factors to mention a few, affect crime actions with no relation to the power or status. People may direct their behavior towards others, showing a positive influence and high status, but if they have a genetic history of crime, they would still engage in such. These behaviors of crime also can be affected by an individual’s psychological perception of things and matters of society.

Power and Status Affect Criminal Behavior

Weighing the reasons discussed as to whether the theory of power and status affect criminal behavior or not, I would like to take a stand and argue that it does change criminal behavior.  Giving reasons below to explain my argument.

Societal pressure to keep up with the status around you and the need to fit in. Criminal behavior may be a result of the expectations and pressure from other people you interact with to own certain things, be able to afford a particular lifestyle and even hang around certain places only with an accomplished high economic status. Also, though it is entirely a personal decision, the need to fit in and overcome this pressure may lead someone to engage in criminal activities. Akers (2011) mentioned that the development of the internet and social media platforms, people are tempted to live up to the social media lifestyle standard leading them to crime.

The urge to express one’s potential abilities over others is another influence on criminal behavior. Regardless of any other factors, people who have authority over other people, engage in crime or influence others in such because of such powers. A person can convince others to follow him into taking part in criminal activities just because they listen to him and believe that whatever they say carries the day. This is the use of power to affect other people’s illegal beliefs. On the other part, people who show ability in their nature tend to break the law because their influence will get them out of any trouble.

Even if other factors influence someone’s behavior in crime, the aspect of power still will push this individual to commit the crime.  It may be a genetic factor or psychological, but yet if the person does not have the control, authority, and influence over their character, they will not commit a crime. But if they have the power to show restraint and supremacy and the need, they will inevitably affect their criminal behavior. This, therefore, means that power influences criminal behavior.

In conclusion, an individual’s behavior toward crime is mostly affected by social status and power. The people they interact with, i.e., peers, economic status, technical considerations, and power, always influence the behavior of a person towards crime more than other factors that lead someone to the crime life. Therefore, the dimensions of this theory affect criminal behavior.

The theory of power and status focuses on how these dimensions are demonstrated in human relations and social life. It considers the possession and exercise of power in an interactive social setting. While on the status, it focuses on a person’s position and accomplishments in society. I think it can be expanded by explaining if power and status correlate in any way such that it would affect human interaction if they do not concur.

Expanding the Theory of Power and Status

The theory, in its initial study, states that aspects of social status and authority affect the behavior of humans as they interact with one another. I think that this theory can be expanded to include the effect power and status have on aspects like the justice system, business activities, and politics.

Power in The Justice System. This theory should consider the power and how it can be used to make the justice system fair to all people of different social status. This would imply that power grants the authority for everyone to be treated well and fairly and have control of the events of the justice system and influence the access to civil justice.

Business engagements. The theory can expand into business engagements by considering power in involving in any business commitments in any social environment. It should be included the power of influence that happens in an interactive business environment. People should have their authority to engage in business deals and control resources and influence the growth of the economy. This would mean that power and status are not only exhibited during human interactions but also in their behavior when in charge of resource control and transaction involvement in economic relations and growth.

Politics. In 2016, Hurst et al. stated that political activities are always aimed at gaining the power to get the advantages of resource allocation and material benefits for particular supporters and players. This theory should be used to help define how laws can be formed to influence a social system where people have the authority to create rules, influence decisions made; in a bid to have a potential position of power in their society, regardless of their social status.

Another way of expanding this theory is to explain how this power and status mentioned is obtained. The opinion should include the sources of power and how it is applied in the livelihoods of the people and explain the concept of status exhibited in an individual’s behavior during human interaction as it states.

References

Agnew, R., & Brezina, T. (2012). Juvenile Delinquency: Causes and Control (P. 624). New York: Oxford University Press

Akers, R. L. (2011). Social learning and social structure: A general theory of crime and deviance. Transaction Publishers.

Brown, E., & Males, M. (2011). Does age or poverty level best predict criminal arrest and homicide rates? A preliminary investigation. Justice Policy Journal, 8(1), 1-30.

Goldhamer, H., & Shils, E. (1939). Types of Power and Status. American Journal of Sociology, 45(2), 171-182. Retrieved March 17, 2020, from www.jstor.org/stable/2769807

Groot, W., & van den Brink, H. M. (2010). The effects of education on crime. Applied Economics, 42(3), 279-289.

Hagan, F. E., & Daigle, L. E. (2018). Introduction to criminology: Theories, methods, and criminal behavior. Sage Publications.

Hurst, C. E., Gibbon, H. M. F., & Nurse, A. M. (2016). Social inequality: Forms, causes, and consequences. Routledge.

Kemper, T. D. (2006). Power and status and the power-status theory of emotions. In Handbook of the sociology of emotions (pp. 87-113). Springer, Boston, MA.