Last updated on October 3rd, 2026 at 11:49 am
The office cleaner at a Kaduna firm had no title, yet managers checked with her before changing anything in the building. After twenty years, she knew where every pipe ran and who to call when things broke.
Social power is the ability to influence what other people think, feel, or do, and as the cleaner shows, it does not always come with a title.
Psychologists have spent decades studying where it comes from and which forms of power earn willing cooperation rather than grudging compliance.
The sections below explain the six bases of power, how they differ, the risks of misuse, and how to build and use it responsibly.
Table of Contents
What Is Social Power?
In psychology, power is the capacity to change another person’s behavior, beliefs, attitudes, or goals.
Power is not the same as influence, which is the actual effect you have, and it is not the same as authority, which is the formal right to decide.
Everyone holds some power, from parents and teachers to junior staff with rare skills or valuable information.
How people turn power into results is explored in how influence works in practice.
For the wider picture, including power’s philosophical and political roots, see the broader nature of power.
The Six Bases of Power
In 1959, psychologists John French and Bertram Raven named five bases of power, and in 1965 Raven added a sixth, informational power.
| Base | Source | Example | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| Legitimate | A recognized right to give instructions | A manager assigning tasks | Position |
| Reward | Control over things people want | A supervisor granting bonuses or promotions | Position |
| Coercive | Ability to punish or withhold | A boss threatening demotion | Position |
| Expert | Knowledge or skill others need | A doctor advising treatment | Personal |
| Referent | Admiration and identification | A respected mentor people want to emulate | Personal |
| Informational | Access to useful facts or explanations | A colleague who knows how a system works | Either |
The next sections look at each one briefly, with deeper guides for several of them.
Legitimate Power
Legitimate power rests on people’s belief that someone has the right to direct them, because of a job title, an election, age, or tradition.
In Nigeria, respect for elders and traditional rulers is a strong source of this kind of power.
Reward Power
Reward power comes from controlling pay, praise, promotions, or opportunities, and it works best when rewards are fair and clearly linked to performance, as explained in motivating people through rewards.
Coercive Power
Coercive power relies on the threat of punishment, and French and Raven noted it tends to reduce liking and increase resistance. It has a place in enforcing safety rules, but relied on heavily, it breeds fear and quiet rebellion.
Expert Power
Expert power comes from knowledge others value, and it shrinks quickly if the expert strays outside their field or proves unreliable, a theme covered in authority that comes from knowledge.
Referent Power
Referent power comes from being admired, trusted, or liked, so people follow willingly because they identify with you, as described in the power of personal admiration.
Informational Power
Informational power comes from having facts or explanations that persuade on their own merits, no matter who delivers them. The office cleaner in the opening story held a mix of expert and informational power.
Position Power vs Personal Power
Leadership scholar Bernard Bass grouped legitimate, reward, and coercive power as position power, since they come from a role, a category covered in depth in how positional power works.
He grouped expert and referent power as personal power, since they come from the individual, as explored in building personal power.
French and Raven also noted that reward and coercive power need constant monitoring to keep working, while referent, expert, and legitimate power tend to produce more lasting change.
Research on supervisors has linked expert and referent power to greater employee satisfaction with supervision, as a 1999 paper by Paul Nesler and colleagues summarizes.
Titles open doors, but personal power is what keeps people following when the title is gone.
Social Power in Everyday Life
The six bases show up far beyond the office.
At Work
A new project manager holds legitimate power through her title, but the senior engineer who built the original system holds expert and informational power.
Smart managers recognize this and bring such people into decisions rather than competing with them.
In Families
Parents hold reward and coercive power over young children through privileges and consequences.
As children grow, that power fades, and what remains is referent power, the respect earned through years of care and example.
In Schools and Communities
A teacher holds legitimate power in the classroom, yet the most popular student may hold more referent power over classmates’ behavior.
In a neighborhood association, the longtime resident who knows the city council’s rules may sway more votes than the elected president.
Online
Social media influencers hold referent power over followers, while moderators hold coercive power to remove posts or ban users.
Anyone who controls what information others see, from a news editor to a search algorithm, holds a form of informational power.
Noticing which kinds of power are at work in a situation helps you respond wisely, and use your own with care.
Who Holds Social Power?
Social power is not limited to the wealthy or well-placed. People without formal authority build it through expertise, relationships, information, and numbers, as when market women’s associations or town unions act together to press for change.
How power shifts between people in relationships, families, and workplaces is covered in the forces behind power dynamics.
How Power Can Be Misused
Every base of power can be abused.
- Manipulation: Using rewards, information, or charm to steer people against their own interests.
- Intimidation: Using threats to silence complaints or force compliance.
- Favoritism: Handing out rewards and opportunities based on loyalty rather than merit.
- Information hoarding: Withholding knowledge to keep others dependent.
- Exploitation: Using authority to take advantage of people who cannot easily refuse, such as junior staff or dependents.
Transparency, accountability, and the freedom to speak up without punishment are the best protection against these abuses.
Healthy vs Unhealthy Use of Power
The same power can build a group up or wear it down.
| Healthy Use | Unhealthy Use |
|---|---|
| Decisions are explained openly | Decisions are made in secret |
| Rewards follow clear, fair criteria | Rewards go to favorites |
| People can disagree without fear | Disagreement is punished |
| Information is shared widely | Information is hoarded |
| Power holders accept feedback and oversight | Power holders avoid accountability |
| Power is used to develop others | Power is used to keep others dependent |
If a group you belong to sits mostly in the right column, raising concerns early, and with allies, is usually safer and more effective than acting alone.
How to Build Social Power Ethically
- Become Genuinely Skilled: Deep expertise in something others need is one of the most durable sources of influence.
- Be Someone People Trust: Keep promises, treat people fairly, and act with integrity, since trust is the root of referent power.
- Build Relationships Widely: Connections across departments, communities, and levels give you information and allies.
- Share Information Generously: People who explain and inform earn more lasting influence than those who hoard knowledge.
- Use Position Power Sparingly: Rely on titles, rewards, and penalties only when personal influence is not enough.
- Lift Others Up: Using your power to open doors for others builds loyalty and extends your influence, a core idea in what good leadership demands.
Conclusion
The cleaner’s influence came from knowledge and trust built over twenty years, not from her job title.
Social power has six bases: legitimate, reward, coercive, expert, referent, and informational power.
Position power can win compliance, but personal power, built on skill, trust, and information, tends to earn lasting cooperation and satisfaction.
List the sources of power you hold today, and choose one personal base to strengthen this month.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is social power?
Social power is the ability to change what other people think, feel, or do, drawing on sources such as authority, rewards, expertise, admiration, or information.
What are the bases of power?
French and Raven identified five bases in 1959 (legitimate, reward, coercive, expert, and referent), and Raven later added informational power as a sixth.
What is the difference between position power and personal power?
Position power comes from a role, such as legitimate, reward, and coercive power, while personal power comes from the individual, such as expertise and admiration.
Which type of social power is most effective?
Research links expert and referent power to greater satisfaction with supervision, and French and Raven noted they produce more lasting change than rewards or threats.
Pious Clements writes about character, conduct, and the deeper questions of how a life is lived. He is the founder of The Conducts of Life, a site built on the belief that how you behave, not what you achieve, defines who you are. His writing draws from decades of observation, lived experience, and serious thinking about human nature, ethics, and self-development. He writes to be useful, not popular.