Usually, power is defined as the ability to get others to do what you want.
So, if I want my wife to make breakfast, I offer to do the dishes after. That exchange makes her more likely to do what I want.
So the question becomes what motivates people to do what you want. A first step is the old 'carrot and stick' approach. Either offer them something that they want in exchange for them doing what you want OR make it uncomfortable for them to not do what you want.
In this, persuasion is relevant for both approaches: you can show how doing what you want is actually in line with their goals or you can show how not doing what you want is against their goals.
The problem is that humans are complicated and don't always have clearly defined goals and may not have a good hierarchy of goals. So, if you argue that doing what you want achieves a 'more important' goal, it is possible to get them to go against a different goal. This is common.
So, the reason money gives power is that people want money so that they can do other things. If you give them money, they are more likely to do what you want. This is why we have jobs.
But you can also get power from having other types of resources: if you raise food, you can get people to do what you want by feeding them, for example.
You can get power by convincing people that you can do a job they want done better than others can. This happens a lot in politics.
And, of course, you can get power by the threat of physical violence. People want to avoid pain and suffering, so the threat can motivate them to do what you want.
Power is inevitable because resources, ability, and persuasiveness are not equally distributed. People will always want some things they don't have and be willing to do things to get them.
So, the question becomes who has the power and what do they want to do with it?
So, if I want my wife to make breakfast, I offer to do the dishes after. That exchange makes her more likely to do what I want.
So the question becomes what motivates people to do what you want. A first step is the old 'carrot and stick' approach. Either offer them something that they want in exchange for them doing what you want OR make it uncomfortable for them to not do what you want.
In this, persuasion is relevant for both approaches: you can show how doing what you want is actually in line with their goals or you can show how not doing what you want is against their goals.
The problem is that humans are complicated and don't always have clearly defined goals and may not have a good hierarchy of goals. So, if you argue that doing what you want achieves a 'more important' goal, it is possible to get them to go against a different goal. This is common.
So, the reason money gives power is that people want money so that they can do other things. If you give them money, they are more likely to do what you want. This is why we have jobs.
But you can also get power from having other types of resources: if you raise food, you can get people to do what you want by feeding them, for example.
You can get power by convincing people that you can do a job they want done better than others can. This happens a lot in politics.
And, of course, you can get power by the threat of physical violence. People want to avoid pain and suffering, so the threat can motivate them to do what you want.
Power is inevitable because resources, ability, and persuasiveness are not equally distributed. People will always want some things they don't have and be willing to do things to get them.
So, the question becomes who has the power and what do they want to do with it?
