The abstract talks a lot about advice giving creating a sense of power.
But does it also create power?
I don't know enough about this field to answer that question for myself, so I'm raising it to the HN hivemind.
But does it also create power?
I don't know enough about this field to answer that question for myself, so I'm raising it to the HN hivemind.
I think advice giving doesn't necessarily confer power. Especially if you're always handing out unwanted advice, a lot of people don't like that. They get hurt in their pride because they believe they can do it without you.
If you want to exercise power through advice you have to ask good questions to find out whether the advised person actually needs your advice, and in which area specifically. You have to get to a point where they actually ask for it.
* It robs you of possibility to figure it out for yourself and think for yourself. It kills pleasure or achievement of whatever activity you are doing. It prevents learning.
* You look less capable to third parties. That actually matters.
* It is often wrong, as whoever gives that advice does not have full information. As in, I am doing it this way and not that way for a reason and really really don't care about defending my choices to strangers who are no more qualified then me.
It can serve as an indicator of ongoing dynamics.
If used to gain power, it's going to blow up in your face. From the psychoanalytic point of view, verbalizing solutions before the patient is ready is like the #1 worst thing someone can do, and the largest generator of resistance out there. Just don't.
Check Carl Rogers, if you're interested ("Client-Centered Therapy", "Counseling and Psychotherapy")
It's probably more complicated due to good advise yielding respect on the receiver side and sometimes both are having observers that might consider the advise giver being in a higher position. Also in hierarchic cultures the advise giver can modify the available future choices of the advise receiver, especially when there are observers.
I mean, at least in tech, a leader is often someone who knows a thing or two. How should I build my application? I don't know, ask Jack, the senior dev. He knows all about that sort of thing and can tell you what to do.
Persuasion is the most powerful force on the planet.