The Secrets of Personal Power

Source: JillWellington/Pixabay

It’s been said that those who look outside themselves dream, but those who look inside themselves awaken. I believe it is from inside oneself that all personal power arises. The challenge is finding the formula to unlock that power. Sadly, it is a challenge at which most people fail. At the intersection of philosophy and science, you can find the secret to unleashing personal power and becoming the person you’ve always wanted to be.

Philosophy and Science Converge

Four writers greatly shaped our understanding of personal power. First, the Chinese philosopher Confucius asserted that power arises from observing others, personal experience, and introspection. Stanford psychology professor Albert Bandura empirically demonstrated that personal power (self-efficacy) arises from the observation of others, personal experience (especially graduated successes), self-control, and the encouragement and support of others. Lastly, two Harvard psychology professors vehemently debated the nature of personal power: David McClelland and B.F. Skinner. McClelland believed that the quest for personal power was a core human motivation. The absence of a sense of personal power leads to poor self-confidence, poor self-esteem, and, in some cases, anxiety and depression.

Could this be fueling the current epidemic of loneliness and depression? McClelland acknowledged that while power can be abused and used for personal gain, he noted that the most successful leaders were motivated by the quest for power, but they tended to use their power to foster the larger good. They freed themselves from the potential stifling influence of criticism by showing little concern for those who bullied or showed envy. This was clearly a form of liberating self-determinism. Perhaps a lesson we all should learn.

Skinner, on the other hand, believed the notion of personal power was an illusion. Embracing Thorndike's Law of Effect, he believed that one’s behavior was shaped by the contingencies of the environment. In that sense, people did not possess self-determination.

David McClelland was initially my advisor and later became a friend. He spent his entire professional life teaching others how to develop personal and entrepreneurial power. Fred Skinner was a person I respected, but with whom I shared few things in common. My first conversation with him was a rather contentious one, which began innocently enough at a faculty party wherein I asserted that not only did I believe that humans had free will and self-efficacy, but that it could be developed. Over the course of several years, I watched the clash between McClelland's and Skinner's worldviews play out.

Takeaways

So, what have I learned from the study of personal power?

1. It is a fundamental drive within the human experience.

2. It can be developed through the practice of a simple formula. The formula for developing personal power consists of practicing five things:

• Studying history
• Observation
• Learning through experience
• Introspection and self-control, and
• The support of others.

Through such practice, one unleashes the power of the self-fulfilling prophecy fueled by the ongoing process of looking inside and continuing to awaken—becoming the person you always wanted to be.

© 2025 George S. Everly, Jr., PhD