second, the cohesion of a relationship can be defined as the average of Dab and Dba (or Pab and Pba) . . . and finally, it opens the door to the study of balancing operations as structural changes in power-dependence relations which tend to reduce power advantage (1962:34).
Even though the relations between two actors are cohesive, by definition it may be asymmetrical because a perfect balance of power or dependence between actors seldom occurs. Thus, cohesion does not necessarily mean that the exchange relationship is balanced. It may mean that the relationship between the actors is unbalanced, but the relationship is cohesive and tends toward balance (Emerson 1962).
The role of power, as conceived by Emerson, suggests that the relative dependence between two actors determines their relative power. That is, social relations entail ties of mutual dependence between the actors. A depends upon B if he aspires to goals or gratifications whose achievement is facilitated by appropriate actions on B's part. By virtue of mutual dependency, it is more or less imperative to each party
that he be able to control or influence the other's conduct . The power to control or influence the other resides in control over the things he
values, all the way from oil resources to ego-support, depending upon the relation in question. In short, power resides implicitly in the other's dependency (1962:32).
Thus, Emerson's concept of power is used interchangeably with dependence.
Power in the social exchange setting, or social power, has generally been defined as the ability of one actor to influence the outcome of another actor's behavior or experience (Lippit, Polansky and Rosen, 1952; French and Raven 1959; Wrong 1979). In being defined as influence, power is viewed as the capacity to attain ends, usually to produce intended and foreseen effects on others. When thought of as a capacity to influence another, it is a dispositional concept—meaning that influence has latent effects which may not be observable (for example, changing attitudes), and that influence is not necessarily confined to producing a particular act on other actors (Wrong 1979). It must also be recognized that power is not being used in the context of authoritarian rule or power, but in terms of persuasion and mutual benefit.
Power is derived from having and controlling resources that another actor needs and values. A common approach to power is to enumerate the resources that make it possible to exercise power (Wrong 1979: 124). An actor brings various resources to an exchange. An actor with power is one who has an array of valued resources available to exchange with the other actor. This power or influence is derived from having and controlling resources that the other needs. The resource dependence model developed by Pfeffer and Salancik (1978), in their analysis of organizations, adopted this approach. The model suggests that organizations are influenced by and respond to demands of other