Social Interaction

 I haven't been doing much writing or game development lately because of my impending test into 3rd-degree black in Kung Fu. But lately, it seems like I've stumbled across a number of blog/forum posts about rules for social interaction. How, or even if this should be supported mechanically is a contentious and confusing subject that I don't currently have answers for. It does, however, fall within an area of interest where I've been doing a lot of research and thinking, so I thought I would throw out some considerations that might be used as tools for a future system.

All conscious decisions are based on an (often imperfect) cost/benefit analysis of one's desired states or goals. So, it should be no surprise that when it comes to social interactions (where one is trying to get someone to do something) that all of the techniques and strategies one might employ are designed to influence how the target weighs the factors on one side or the other of that equation.

Two early pioneers of the concept of Social Power, the social psychologists French and Raven, established 5 categories of sources of power: Coercive Power, Reward Power, Expert Power, Legitimate Power, Referent Power. Unfortunately, these sources of power may represent multiple types of influence, muddying the waters when searching for a reason why or how this power influences people. It is, nevertheless a good place to start.

The two -- what might be called -- "purest" expressions of power are Coercive Power and Reward Power as these directly influence one's conscious evaluation of the costs or benefits of a potential decision.

* Coercive power -- "Do this... or something bad will happen to you."

-- directly affects the cost side of the cost/benefit equation either by withholding a benefit (e.g. a boss threatening to fire--and thus stop paying--you) or imposing an additional cost or limitation to one's ability to hold or achieve a desired state.

* Reward power -- "Do this...it will be worth it."

-- directly affects the benefit side of the equation, offering additional resources, opportunities, or some form of help to hold or achieve state (e.g. the money to buy the things you need to live)

The remaining three (or more) sources of power tend to be more indirect, taking advantage of non-rational/emotional influences and cognitive biases to manipulate the cost/benefit evaluation, often by introducing multiple factors to both sides of the equation.

* Expert Power -- "Do this...because I know what's best."

-- is generally a part of an appeal to one's self-interest, by encouraging you to trust the source of the advice. If 4 out of 5 doctors recommend something, you can trust it is a good idea, as long as it is medical advice and not decorating tips and that they aren't on the advertiser's payroll.

* Legitimate Power -- "Do this... because I'm the boss."

-- usually conceived as "positional power" it is hard to distinguish this from Coercive or Reward power. To legitimately establish it as a separate category, it should probably be re-conceptualized as an appeal to expected norms. "Do this... because that's what you do."

* Referent Power -- "Do this... because I'm, me."

-- is generally an attempt to invoke an associated emotion. This is the power of a well-liked celebrity to sell commercial products. It may include more abstract concepts like "God and Country" or even "Think of the suffering children/puppies!"