The conception of power: Reconsidered

Social scientists have an intuitive notion of what "power" infers, but have been unable to define it rigorously enough for use in a systematic study of this social phenomenon. Adopting a social systems perspective, the paper focuses on the historical development, empirical utility, and the integration of the theoretical dimension of the concept. In addition, the process by which subsystems form larger operating units is explored with attention being given to the development of power relationships among them.