Routledge Power and Inequality in Interpersonal Relations

This book explores interpersonal situations in which weak or vulnerable people find themselves and the ways in which others help create, sustain, and eradicate such social dynamics. Vladimir Shlapentokh and Eric Beasley demonstrate that people can gain power over each other and then abuse this power because of unequal resource conditions. The authors define resources as the means necessary for satisfaction or achievement of needs or goals, such as wealth, physical strength, intellectual capacity and information, sexual attractiveness, and status. This volume is different from existing social science books on inequality and vulnerability, which address relations between people of different social positions, races, genders, ages, and places of residence confronting each other in political, economic, and cultural battles. This book focuses on people who become the victims of those whom they know personally―relatives, colleagues, neighbors. The authors argue that unequal resource distribution among members of social units is the main cause of conflict and ultimately creates situations where members of a social unit can abuse other members of the same unit. Review -While there are many texts that feature a structural or macro framework for explaining inequality, Shlapentokh and Beasley present an ethnographically-based, detailed and systematic theory for explaining interpersonal inequalities. They first explore the role of physical size, wealth and social status in producing and reproducing inequality then explicate the role of -help- in reducing or countering these powerful factors. Imaginative and engaging, this is an important contribution to sociological social psychology.- --Peter K. Manning, Northeastern University "While there are many texts that feature a structural or macro framework for explaining inequality, Shlapentokh and Beasley present an ethnographically-based, detailed and systematic theory for explaining interpersonal inequalities. They first explore the role of physical size, wealth and social status in producing and reproducing inequality then explicate the role of "help" in reducing or countering these powerful factors. Imaginative and engaging, this is an important contribution to sociological social psychology." --Peter K. Manning, Northeastern University "While there are many texts that feature a structural or macro framework for explaining inequality, Shlapentokh and Beasley present an ethnographically-based, detailed and systematic theory for explaining interpersonal inequalities. They first explore the role of physical size, wealth and social status in producing and reproducing inequality then explicate the role of "help" in reducing or countering these powerful factors. Imaginative and engaging, this is an important contribution to sociological social psychology." --Peter K. Manning, Northeastern University About the Author Vladimir Shlapentokh is professor of sociology at Michigan State University, USA. Previously he was senior fellow in the Sociological Institute in Moscow, Russia. His writings appeared in The New York Times, Los Angeles Times, and Washington Post. His most recent book is Feudal America: Elements of the Middle Ages in Contemporary Society. Eric Beasley is assistant professor at the Office of the Associate Provost for Undergraduate Education at Michigan State University, USA, and special lecturer at Oakland University, USA.