how does power influence human interactions?

Question

my social studies teacher is giving an essay on this question that is due on friday. i need help fast and have no idea what this question means

Answer 1

First, since there is time before Friday, try to talk to your social studies teacher about your concerns. If you are having a problem with the topic, others might also be struggling, in which case, the teacher can give additional information. Also, thank your social studies teacher for two things--giving you advance notice about the topic (which does require some deep thinking) and for giving you essay questions that will make you think rather than regurgitate memorized facts. You might also want to ask the teacher if you can approach the essay from a personal standpoint, that is, how power influences your interactions with others and theirs with you. (See additional information on this below.)

Next, think of friends or classmates whose opinion you trust and discuss the question with them. Do something like "brainstorming" and throw out different ideas--even silly ideas can sometimes make someone else think of a good idea.

Then, think about the powerful people you know--both people with power over you (teachers, prinicpals, parents, ministers, adult neighbors, parents' friends, grandparents, aunts, uncles, older siblings, etc.) and those with power over you as well as others (senators, representatives, the president, local political figures, etc. Even sports stars, movie/TV stars, musicians, etc. have power because they often influence us.) How does the nature of their power influence how they interact with you and how you interact with them. For example, even for teachers that you like and respect, you probably wouldn't spontaneously hug them like you would a friend when you learn about something that person has to celebrate or mourn. That is, if you learned that a friend's beloved pet died, you might give him or her a hug, but in a similar situation, you probably would only express verbal condolences to a teacher. However, if the opposite occurred, that is, your beloved pet died, a caring teacher might give you a hug or at least pat you on the shoulder. Sports/movie/TV/rock stars have power over us because they regularly influence us by what they do, say, wear, how they style their hair, etc. Conversely, if something they do/say/etc. offends their fans enough to cause a drop in popularity, their fans might end up influencing them to change their behavior. Political figures have power over us by the laws they pass, funds they provide, etc., but we have power over them when elections and re-elections (and even recall elections) are held.

Your essay should probably not just be at a personal level, so you will probably also want to throw in information on how power influences on a larger scale--like Hitler's influence on Germany and the rest of the world or Saddam Hussein's influence on Iraq, etc.

Try to adapt some of these ideas for your essay.