The effects of target, age, and gender on use of power strategies.

Abstract

Falbo and Peplau (1980) found that females use unilateral and indirect power strategies in intimate relationships, whereas males use direct and bilateral power strategies. Differences in power strategies reported by 6th, 9th, and 12th graders in response to mother, father, and same-sex friend targets were examined by using the same two-dimensional model. Friends differed from both parental targets in receiving fewer unilateral and indirect strategies. Fathers, hypothesized to have the most power, received fewer direct and bilateral strategies than mothers and friends. Weaker strategies were used more with parents and stronger strategies were used more with friends. Gender effects, alone and in interaction with target and grade, did not support previous gender differences. Overall, the study supports the usefulness of the Falbo and Peplau model in examining the effects of targets on the use of power strategies and a power interpretation of gender differences in intimate relationships.