EXCHANGE AND POWER IN STRUCTURAL ANALYSIS.

The article comments on exchange theory and power in structural analysis. It provides a point of convergence between the competing models and suggests that each is concerned with different aspects of the same phenomenon rather than with differently conceived phenomena. Through consideration of all three models, discussed in the article, therefore, it should be possible to construct a genuine synthesis which places the distinctive contribution of each in its appropriate context. Exchange theory shares some of the concerns of both consensus and conflict models. With the former it is interested in value consensus and exchange between equals, with the latter it is interested in power structures and exchange between unequals. Unfortunately, it is least articulated and elaborated at the macro level and its distinctive contributions to a synthesis are thus hidden. Furthermore, exchange theory has neglected the sources of power and the nature of social structure in its concern with exchange and social process. Power is a generic term for the ability of a given social actor to attain its goals even in the face of opposition from other actors.