Norah Dunbar’s Dyadic Power Theory

DECEMBER 4TH, 2024

This study will contribute to Dunbar’s (2004) dyadic power theory, which adopts a social exchange perspective. According to Dunbar’s theory, factors such as cultural, relational, and social elements, along with an individual’s access to resources, shape their perception of personal power. Individuals who perceive themselves as having greater power tend to approach situations with confidence that comes from their perceived elevated status. Key variables of Dunbar’s theory relevant to this investigation include power, control, control attempts, countercontrol attempts, authority, resources, and relativity. 

Dunbar defines power as the ability or potential to influence or control another person’s behavior, emphasizing that this power is not absolute but rather based on an individual’s perception of their influence relative to their interaction partner. Control attempts are efforts by one person to alter another’s behavior, while counter-control attempts are the responses made by the other person in reaction to these control attempts. Control occurs when a behavioral change results from a control attempt, and authority relates to the social norms that define who should control different situations. Resources refer to anything one partner provides to help the other achieve their goals, and relativity describes the power dynamics between partners in relation to each other (Dunbar, 2004).