knowing when to "giv(e) in on something less important" (74). For instance, once again consider the example of a mother and child. Assume that the child wants to go over to a friend's house to play, but he has promisedhis mother that he would do his chores that afternoon. The child begs his mother to let him go and play, assuring her that he will do his chores immediately upon arriving home. The mother concedes, and the child is happy. If we are to analyze this situation in terms of gains and losses,the mother has gained points with her son and has essentially suffered no loss-the chores will still be done, only a few hours later. Throughout the entire scenario, the mother's power is evident, both explicit and implicitly; the son does not forget that his mother has the ultimate say in what he does, and in letting her son go she has not only made him happy but is also asserting her poweras a parent. In sum, the mother has most effectively realized her power by knowing when tosacrifice something that is of lesser importance while gaining more long-term benefits. Another way that power may be asserted is by the influences of certain situations, namely that of certainty and uncertainty. The former has been expounded on in the previous paragraph, while the latter has yet to be explained. Perhaps uncertainty may be thought of as a "foothold" forpower. Uncertainty assures power and dominance by utilizing the fear of the unknown. An example of this is the success of insurance companies, who essentially sell peace of mind. They attain and establish their power by causing people to ask, "What if..." Since most people do nothave the ability to see into the future, an insurance policy seems like a sensible thing to have.It would even be fair to say that insurance companies have capitalized on the notion of uncertainty. Collins also claims that the two most commonly overestimated forms of power, money and coercion, are rathe...
