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An argument of the power and conflict theory

...... Two other strands of argument are discernible. One is that power shifts occur within the three interrelated realms of the personal, the relational, and the environmental (p. 123). In the dynamics of power, a gain in one area may mean a gain or a loss in another area. This paradigm is important for his conceptualization of power. The second is that Coleman clearly adopts the distinction between primary and secondary power developed by Deutsch. Primary power refers to the ability to affect those activities (the law, the media, policies, and so on) that define the domain (p. 123). Here is where real power lies. Primary power sets up the field rules by which the game (secondary power) is played. It defines the ideology and supporting myths of a culture or situation. It constrains the possible moves that are available for secondary power to make. Secondary power is the exercise of power within the structure of those rules. It must take into account the way the field is established, organized, and legitimized before it can have an influence. Coleman writes, Only once the domain has been defined does it become possible for power as conceived of in a conventional sense