Power-dependence theory is a relational account of social power holding that one party’s power over another equals the other’s dependence on it. Dependence rises with investment in what the powerful party controls and falls with available alternatives, and imbalances trigger balancing operations.
- FamilyModel
- Category of its source unitTheories & Explanatory Models
- DomainVoice, Silence & Power
What these mean
Editorial orientation · Family
Model
In this series, Model names the editorial family primarily used to understand and explain communication: theories, frameworks, effects, traditions, principles and other conceptual resources. It is an umbrella for a route into the field, not a claim that every included object is a predictive model.
Editorial orientation · Category
Theories & Explanatory Models
Explains how or why a communication process works by relating mechanisms, conditions or variables. Its value is an account that can guide inquiry into what produces an outcome, rather than a name for the outcome alone.