According to De Vito (n.d.), in interpersonal relationships there are several possible types of power that one individual can have over another. Those include:
Referent: That is where person B wants to be like person A;
Legitimate: Where B believes that person A has the right of control or influence over person B’s behavior;
Expert: When this power is present, B regards A as having required knowledge;
Information or Persuasion: This is where B regards A as having the ability of effective communication;
Reward: With this power present, A is able to reward B;
Coercive: This power affords A with the ability to punish B.
For Coach Johnson, he clearly possesses coercive power over the team in that he has the ability to punish team members for unsatisfactory performance or other perceived failings.
The turning point for Gilbert in the case study was probably him making “all-conference” in the previous season. That may well have made him feel superior and therefore not obliged any longer to take Coach Johnson or his instructions so seriously. On the other hand, the turning point for Coach Johnson – who has a most intense work ethic – was seeing Gilbert make a “slow start”; i.e. probably taking things easy, instead of training/playing flat out. These two separate turning points in the Coach Johnson/Gilbert relationship will have damaged the relationship and destabilized the previously stable power balance, threatening relational de-escalation.
Relational de-escalation could be summarized as having five stages: Turmoil, Stagnation, De-intensification, Individualization, Separation, and Post-interaction. In this instance, when Gilbert says he is upset at being dropped from the first team and says he doesn’t know what to do, he is in the first or turmoil stage of de-escalation. Progression to further stages of de-escalation depends on the selected option from the various different outcomes postulated in the case study, but may not include or progress through all the five accepted stages. “Outcome [E]” is a scenario that Coach Johnson has seen before in his 22-year long coaching career, so when he and Gilbert meet to discuss the problem, he explains to Gilbert that he must turn over a new leaf to get back in the team. If Gilbert accepts that, the relational de-escalation stops right there.
According to Lum (2008), “social exchange theory explains how and why people make or lose friends with keystones from economics, psychology, and sociology”. His paper refers to costs and rewards in a relationship, where the relationship is only initiated or maintained if the rewards are greater than the costs. With reference to this case study, the rewards gained by the coach are in knowing he has passed on his skills and knowledge to newer/younger players, while the reward for the players is the advice received which allows them to improve their skills.
Attitudes of the parties in the case study (i.e. Coach Johnson and Gilbert) – both verbal and non-verbal – are important in their interpersonal relationship. Coach Johnson is known to have a short fuze and an explosive temper, which coupled with his intense work ethic probably make close relationships with his players difficult and maybe improbable. On the other hand, Gilbert’s apparently lazy approach can only infuriate Coach Johnson, who knows that Gilbert can do better if he puts his mind to it. However, if Gilbert were to turn over a new leaf and put 100% into his training, the previously-existing good relationship with Coach Johnson would be restored.
References
De Vito, Joseph, A. (n.d.). Power in Interpersonal Relationships. The Interpersonal Communication Book, Tenth Edition. Retrieved 9 May, 2012 from http://wps.ablongman.com/ab_devito_intrprsnl_10/9/2358/603691.cw/
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Lum, Tyrus. (2008). Social Exchange Theory: The Maker and Breaker of Relationships. Na Mana’o Vol. 1 No. 1, Fall 2008. Retrieved 9 May, 2012 from http://www.english.hawaii.edu/namanao/Vol.1-No.1/PDF/Tyrus%20Lum.pdf
