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Abstract

As a teacher, the author related Rollo May’s ideas about power to her classroom experience. This article examines the five types of power as presented by May (exploitative, manipulative, competitive, nutrient, and integrative power) in relation to consciousness, freedom, destiny, and personal responsibility. May asserted that the potentialities of each type of power reside in all of us, all the time. Through conscious examination, we can discover the degree to which we use them in various exchanges. This personal exploration connected power to spontaneity, creativity, and ultimately transformation of the self. In the end, a simple inquiry into power in the classroom may crescendo to the broader and deeper scale of community, society, and the world.

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power classroom management

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References

Lincoln, A. ( 1841). Letter to John T. Stuart. In R. P. Basler (Ed.), The collected works of Abraham Lincoln (Vol. 1, p. 230). Springfield, IL: Abraham Lincoln Association.

May, R. ( 1953). Man’s search for himself. New York: Norton.

May, R. ( 1972). Power and innocence: A search for the sources of violence . New York: Norton.

May, R. ( 1981). Freedom and destiny. New York: Norton.

May, R. ( 1996). The meaning of anxiety. New York: Norton.

Shenk, J.W. ( 2005). Lincoln’s melancholy: How depression challenged a president and fueled his greatness. Boston: Houghton Mifflin.

Lessons From an Existentialist: What Rollo May Taught Me About Power in the Classroom

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