Sensitivity and Adaptability in the Face of Powerlessness: The Roles of Political Will and Political Skill within the Experience of Powerlessness and its Impact on Stress-Related Outcomes

Abstract

In a world that glorifies power, the lives of the powerless serve as context for testimonies of salvation that in their pretentiousness more often reinforce the reputation and self-esteem of the powerful hero than transform the lives of the oppressed. Whereas these types of popular human-interest stories may raise awareness of the conditions surrounding the powerless, they do little more than advance the notion that these individuals are without hope and must rely solely on the generosity, resources, and leadership of the powerful populations by which they are exploited. We seek to offer a contrasting perspective in this chapter. That is, we present a framework that challenges messianic notions of leaders of ineffectual populations and presses forth with the idea that powerlessness is a more common condition than feeling powerful and that only the powerless can alter their destiny.

Citation

Treadway, D.C., Campion, E.D. and Williams, L.V. (2017), "Sensitivity and Adaptability in the Face of Powerlessness: The Roles of Political Will and Political Skill within the Experience of Powerlessness and its Impact on Stress-Related Outcomes", Power, Politics, and Political Skill in Job Stress (Research in Occupational Stress and Well Being, Vol. 15), Emerald Publishing Limited, Leeds, pp. 81-103. https://doi.org/10.1108/S1479-355520170000015001