Abstract
What is power? What is abuse of power? Although these may seem to be easy questions there is no universal or unanimously agreed upon definition of what power is or of what constitutes abuse of that power. Weber viewed power as the opportunity to fulfil one’s own wishes despite the resistance of other participants in the social act in question. Lernell (1979) defines power as the pressure exercised by a person or a group over others so as to influence their actions or their attitudes. For Ottenhof (1980) power is the ability of an individual or of a group to act in such a way as they determine for themselves: I want, so I can.
This chapter is based in part on an unpublished report prepared by the author for the United Nations Secretariat.
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© 1989 Ezzat A. Fattah
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Fattah, E.A. (1989). Victims of Abuse of Power: the David/Goliath Syndrome. In: Fattah, E.A. (eds) The Plight of Crime Victims in Modern Society. Palgrave Macmillan, London. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-349-20083-2_2
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