Relationship to Power Affect the Way One Understands One’s Identity

Student’s Name Professor’s Name Subject Date How Does One’s Relationship to Power Affect the Way One Understands One’s Identity? Introduction Human beings have an instinct to perceive and distinguish the world in a way that makes their life more pleasant and uncomplicated. It is useless to believe that there is no injustice in the world and it is a place where everybody is treated equally regarding their differences and social status. Studies have proved that people are more focused on people that have higher social status rather than the people with lower status. It is the nature of human to treat the people before them according to their power dynamics in society. This essay will discuss the arguments regarding power dynamics in the light of James Scott’s infamous book ‘Dominance and the Arts of Resistance’. Social status and power are two elements that are highly proportional to the importance a person is going to receive. Discussion The Effect of Power on One's Identity Almost every person in this world portrays a certain character when they are present in public place. According to Scott, “The theatrical imperatives that normally prevail in situations of domination produce a public transcript in close conformity with how the dominant group would wish to have things appear,” (4). Public performance is something that people has been displaying from the very start (1). In this, people usually act in a certain way to a different group of people according to the need of the situation. Elite groups with a powerful social position are often well respected in public by all social groups. People give great importance to these kinds of powerful social groups even if they have little to no respect for them in the heart. Power is something that changes the way people perceive someone (Scott 1). For example, there is a difference in how a master would treat his slave and vice versa. Power is something that highly influences life. It is a factor that has great importance in society. The difference in power has a great influence in the life of a person. Scott in this matter discusses that he change of attitude that could be seen between the master and the slave towards each other is basically because of the difference in power (1). There are several stories that have been told by previous slaves about how they survive in a situation where they were constantly humiliated and how they hold it all in for their own sake. The disrespecting of the feelings of the one with less power is barely considered an occasion of astonishment and surprise (Scott 1). It is so apparent and common now that it has stretched the real meaning of power to a point where it is no longer recognizable. There are several atrocious past cases of subordination that are depressing given their wild details that could induce fear in any one’s mind. This fear leads towards differences in attitude when people meet someone of great power. The changes of attitude between the powerful and the non-powerful person have the tendency to hurt self-esteem of the non-powerful one. History has proved how power has a crucial role in defining the social status of someone in society and how it has affected the self-esteem of many (Scott 7). This is not something that ha...