Power Society Ils 50 by Harold D. Lasswell

Author:Harold D. Lasswell [Lasswell, Harold D.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Reference, General, Social Science, Sociology
ISBN: 9780415605427
Google: -h44bwAACAAJ
Publisher: Routledge
Published: 2010-10-19T04:47:37+00:00

VII

PRACTICES

Perspectives and operations are patterned in political practices. When power perspectives are operative, conduct is politicized. Fundamental practices in such conduct include patterns of relationship between leaders and led, and the distribution of responsibility in relations of representative and constituent.

§7.1 Considerations and Conditions

DF. Considerations are the perspectives in which influence is exercised; conditions, the factors necessary and/or sufficient for its exercise.

ANALYSIS OF the decision-making process—and, more generally, of the influence process—requires investigation of two sorts of factors: the symbols entering into the focus of attention of those exercising the influence, and the situations in which it is exercised. The latter, from the standpoint of such an analysis, we term “conditions”: a condition is a determinant or effect of policy. A consideration is a symbol, referring to conditions, which enters into policy formation. Not all conditions, of course, are always considered; policy may be more or less realistic, more or less enlightened.

Conditions may include the self as well as the environment. A certain degree of solidarity and cooperation is a condition for waging war; whether or not these conditions obtain may be an important consideration in deciding on a warlike policy. Similarly, considerations may be determined by the environment as well as by predisposition. On the basis of the flow of comment and interpretation from the environment, decision makers are able to estimate the applicability of considerations toward which they are predisposed. Those Japanese predisposed toward an imperialist policy timed their attack on the United States in view of intelligence about the progress and prospects of Nazis and Fascists in the world military-political situation in 1941.

PROP. Solidarity in relation to given policies varies with the degree to which considerations favorable to those policies are brought to the focus of attention of the group.

Advancing of considerations acts in a twofold way to solidify the group behind the policy. Over and above the favorable expectations aroused by the considerations advanced is the effect on solidarity of their having been advanced at all. The group participates in this way in the process of decision making (though in fact such participation may be of minimal weight), and the deference thereby extended further predisposes the members in favor of the policy. It may be unnecessary, therefore, to make available the considerations actually decisive for the policy makers. The mere fact that the policy is “explained” and “justified” itself acts in favor of the policy, and if the considerations in addition evoke favorable expectations, they are doubly effective. The sale of war bonds may be promoted by linking them with expectations of shortening the war, rather than preventing or controlling inflation.

The hypothesis, of course, does not deal with all the factors relevant to solidarity. Solidarity may be heightened by the enunciation of policy without advancement of considerations, if, for example, the policy is one which the group is demanding or to which it is already predisposed, or if group practices have set up strong predispositions of unquestioning obedience and blind faith. (In the latter case, to put

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