Self
Esteem: Implications....
Continued
Although Glasser approaches self-esteem from a slightly different angle, both he and Branden are in harmony and make similar, if not the same, statements.
Their two positions are not different,
when viewed together and closely. "To love and be loved" is to
have a sense of power. The love relationship, whether it is intimate or
casual, is one in which parties often put in abeyance some of their desires
to please each other. That, therefore, is a relationship of power.
Maxwell Weber defines power as "the possibility of imposing one's will
upon the behavior of another." This is the nature and allowance of
the love relationship. Therefore, to love and be loved is actually the
same as a sense of personal efficacy, a sense of power. Glasser's second
notion of feeling worthwhile to himself and others is similar,
if not the same, as Branden's second "interrelated aspect" of self worth
(or respect).
In highlighting the major aspects of these two authors' positions, Branden feels that self-esteem has profound effects on human behavior; it's the single most significant key to behavior; in its absence, one may be driven to flagrantly self destructive goals; and finally, self-esteem is inherent in mankind's very nature. Glasser feels that a failure to satisfy one or both of a person's two human needs could result in pain to that person and others; and one attempting to fulfill these needs may often use unrealistic and irresponsible means to attain them. In sum, both Branden and Glasser generally advance the same concept that there is an extreme need for and a deadly potential of not having self-esteem.
Power is a crucial ingredient in self-esteem building. Yet power is a term that many use but few feel a need to define. John K. Gailbraith, in his Anatomy of Power, examines power from three perspectives: Condign power, Compensatory power and Conditioned power. He uses Weber's definition of power as his own: "the ability of one to realize his own will in a communal act against others who are participating in the same act."
Condign power is power acquired by inflicting or threatening adverse consequences on another. This is power by force or fear. This is a type of power society is too familiar with. Compensatory power is power acquired through offering positive rewards for certain behavior. This is power by pay or praise--a paid job is a most immediate example of this type. Conditioned power is power acquired by persuasion or by changing one's belief or philosophy. This is intellectual or moral power. Of these three types of power, all of us exercise at least one of them.
Looking at power and self, Gailbraith contends that power is really actuated worth; and to love power is to love oneself. Hence, various thinkers address the need for power, and whether those thinkers are philosophers or psychologists, all agree that power, regardless of what it is called, is extremely important to all humans beings.
In the juvenile court system, we see a number of youths who are obsessed with the notion of power, and usually they have often exercised condign power in their effort to realize the exercise of some type of power. Their use of condign power is unacceptable to society, hence, they find themselves in the juvenile justice system. These are children who have not learned the art of conditioned power, and they do not have the wherewithal for compensatory power. They will exercise some type of power because power is, as has been stated by Branden and Glasser, important for the self worth of an individual. The exercise of condign power, however, is unfortunately the only tool many of these youths seemingly have, so it is used. (See If a Kid Has a Gun.)
Rendering a person powerless has its consequences, usually negative. The youths we see who are unable to exercise conditioned power will always resort to some other type of power. Many of the young drug sellers are attempting to exercise compensatory power. First, they must acquire the necessary capital to have the ability to impose their wills on the behavior of others through compensatory power. For them, drug selling is a way of securing this type of power. They view selling drugs as a quick, hassle-free (unless they are arrested) method of making money, the mother's milk of compensatory power. Too often these are the young inner-city youths who have unemployment rates up to 60%. Therefore, many of them are precluded from legitimate compensatory power acquisition, hence, this illegitimate venue is theirs to travel.
This form of acquiring compensatory power is not socially acceptable because of the harm of drugs to humans, and, of course, it is irresponsible behavior. The youths, of course, do not see the impact that their actions are having on others. Their focus is to impact power for themselves. One youth said, "(I'll) Get me some money, people listen to you then." This is their notion of compensatory power acquisition. Often, in their attempts to attain the wherewithal of compensatory power through drug sales, there is a frequent resort to condign power to enforce deals, etc.
Most of the youths entering the juvenile justice system have no ability to exercise conditioned power. This type of power usually requires intellectual or moral skills, which are frequently acquired through study and/or school. As we know, the statistics on the school attendance and imprisonment of black youths between ages 18-24, for example, are tragic--there are 400,000 in college, contrasted to 600,000 in prisons and probation. This college attendance rate starts with grade school attendance rates. Therefore, too many of the youths we see are already preparing themselves for the 600,000 group. Their grade school attendance and performance are usually so problematic that conditions of probation usually include school attendance and performance.