Rank, power and privilege

(This article is much indebted to the ideas of Arnold Mindell- in particular his book "Sitting in the Fire" 1995 Lao Tse Press, see book reviews)

It is clear to every writer and practitioner in the field of conflict resolution and transformation that significant imbalance of power between protagonists makes it very difficult to produce a sustainable solution to their differences. What is not often made clear is that these differences, based on diverse sources of power, are key generators of conflict, particularly when people are unaware of or deny them. Such differences are perhaps more obvious when it comes to use of military or coercive power but are less obvious in the day to day interactions of ordinary people though no less problematic. This article seeks to raise awareness of power and privilege differences through the exploration of rank.

Rank is a way of indicating a level of status, privilege and power and can be derived from different bases or sources, for example social, psychological, economic, moral, cultural, educational, and so on. The upside of rank is the benefits and privilege that accompanies it, the downside is that it can blind us to the value of others who do not share such rank - we tend to judge those of lower rank as less valuable and ignore them or marginalize their concerns. Rank, whether individual or collective, is often unconscious, inadvertently abuses others and is therefore a major source of unintended conflict.

Mindell says "Rank is a drug. The more you have, the less aware you are of how it effects others negatively."  We all want more of it to make us feel good and, if we are not conscious of it, may become addicted to it like any other drug and make false representations, steal from the well-being of others, or pretend we have more of it than is our due, to support our habit or dependency on it. The greater the concentration of power and privilege that accompany rank of different kinds, the greater is the likelihood that it will be abused or misused - a truism borne out by experience time and time again. 

The experience of low rank is often one of being devalued, disrespected and excluded from influence, decision-making and other benefits that come with having high rank. It plays havoc with our sense of self-esteem and self-worth. It is more difficult for those of lower rank to participate in society and feel good about themselves. For example, it is more difficult for a poor person of colour to get a job and a good education in white, male, dominated, economically developed countries or for women to get through the organisational "glass ceiling", or receive remuneration equal to their male counterparts.

Rank is not inherently bad nor is abuse of it inevitable. All of us have some kind of rank whether we are aware of it or not. However, we tend to be more conscious of the rank that we do not have, with its attendant power and privilege, than the rank we do have. Rank is often inherited, or acquired by virtue of the social, economic, ethnic, educational legacy of our forebears or geographical location  - the luck of the draw - the circumstances into which we are born, more than by dint of our own efforts. For example a good address or geographical location can significantly help your chances of getting a good job. As a result we are often unconscious of such rank and privilege, unless of course you happen to live in an area with a reputation for deprivation and criminality. 

Unconsciousness of rank, or misuse of it, is a continuing source of conflict. When people with high rank are confronted with unconscious or disowned rank or obliviousness of the impact of their rank on others they are often bewildered, confused, hurt or angry and will often react with denial. Since their health, wealth, skin colour is not intentional it does enter their awareness that they reflect "rank" and they cannot see how they can be held responsible for something they did not do. Such lack of rank awareness and its impact can violate or provoke violence in those who feel powerless or marginalized by it. Lack of awareness of rank and its impact tends to draw attack, revenge or retaliation from victims of such misuse. 

We generally expect people of high rank to be of higher intellectual, emotional, spiritual, or psychological calibre than those criticising them even though their rank may not be of this particular type. For example, confusion often arises when people with social rank and power also show psychological weakness. Their victims, too, often unawarely abuse their rank (albeit a different kind of rank) in their reaction against such oppression and feel justified in doing so. We often tend to protect the victims of rank abuse - the underdogs, but those of high rank also need support to become aware of their rank and its impact and helped to use it better for their own and others benefit.

Hierarchy and rank is a reflection of almost all social structures and cultures. It is usually taken for granted - a part of the fabric of society, so we cannot get rid of our rank but we can change the way we use it.  Who hasn't provoked envy or jealousy at one time or another in their lives? First we need to recognise it and its symptoms.The easy bit is recognising the rank that others have that we don't. The more challenging task is to recognise and take responsibility for our own rank and how we may be misusing it.

Typically, when we are unconscious of our high rank, we have the luxury or privilege of being able to ignore or dismiss the concerns of others - it is not my problem - the outcome does not affect us. We exude an air of detachment, objectivity and coolness as if above it all or unaffected by the issues at stake. We often judge those of lower rank as being irrational, hot-headed and incoherent if not unbalanced, abnormal or lacking in some way. We demand that the person of lower rank control themselves, speak calmly and explain themselves in language that we can understand. We demand that they be like us and cannot understand why they do not take responsibility for the plight in which they find themselves. After all we work hard so why can't they just stop complaining and get on with it!

High rank often arises from membership of the dominant or majority culture or grouping e.g. typically white, educated, healthy, wealthy, and so on. As such, rank is a subtle state of mind, attitude or belief that is often unarticulated, or indirectly stated in the language we use, the clothes we wear or where we live. It is also a subconscious sense of how we feel about ourselves reflected in our sense of self-esteem and confidence that is linked to membership of  the mainstream culture. What does not belong to this dominant identity is seen as abnormal, marginalized and of less value. Having the privileges of the dominant group we often forget the pain and the problems of being excluded or marginalized.

Remembering personal and collective experiences of lower rank can help remind us of what it is like to be on the receiving end of unconscious rank. We cannot give away our rank so we had best use it for our own benefit and that of others with an attitude of humility and gratitude for the fortunate position in which we find ourselves. In this way, we will be able to be acknowledge and be proud of our rank and how we use it instead of, as we often do, denying or hiding it lest we provoke hurt, jealousy or fury.

Different kinds of rank include, spiritual, emotional, moral, material, sexual, gender, beauty, age, ethnicity, social status, and so on. An individual may have high rank on some of these and low rank on others. This, in addition to unconscious rank, can often give rise to double messages - one of the main ways in which rank can generate and escalate confusion and conflict.  Double messages have the effect of making us appear incongruent, two-faced, untrustworthy or even dishonest.

Unconscious rank often appears in the form of double signals. A primary signal is the message we intend to give while the secondary signal is unintended, a slip of the tongue, non-verbal communication, or language that is incongruent or at odds with the primary message.  These secondary signals leak out or give away an indication of ambivalence or how we truly think and feel.  We are usually unaware of these secondary signals and would not choose to openly take ownership of these messages if we were as they are often at odds with the primary identity we like to present. We will often deny them when confronted with them.

Most misunderstanding arises from double messages or signals and double signals are hard to defend against, as they are subtle, submerged, unarticulated and indirect. Unconscious signals tend to trigger unconscious retaliatory responses and escalating cycles of attack and defence. Surfacing them to consciousness, clarifying and taking ownership of them is often the key to unlocking relationship difficulties and conflicts. We need to be alert for such double messages if we are to pre-empt potentially destructive escalation.

The mindset of lower rank is one of defensiveness - fight, flight, play dead. When in this state, we are usually so focused on, and agitated by, the person of higher rank and/or so submerged in our own sense of inferiority, powerlessness or victim-hood, that we forget to remind ourselves of our own rank. We often project our own power on to the person of higher rank, rendering the power imbalance even more daunting or threatening. In the moment, we may feel so angry or fearful that we cannot speak and come across as inarticulate or appear stupid.

People of lower rank often adopt mainstream values or those they would not ordinarily choose in order to belong or gain the advantage of the privilege that accompanies the dominant culture and end up feeling inferior. Being aware that lower rank is at play, that our identity is greater than our current experience of lower rank, and that we may have a role in educating those of higher rank can help us overcome the sometimes-paralysing impact of lower rank.

Rank and hierarchy have received bad press in the last half-century to the point that equality is more highly prized while high rank has a strong whiff of abuse of power and position. The tendency in organisations for example is to hide our power and privilege, exercise it covertly and not to talk about it openly. The downside is that genuine hierarchy and excellence can often be ignored or down played in some organisational cultures reducing talent to the lowest common denominator in pursuit of equality.  Sometimes this is pretence at equality masking an abuse of power and the ignoring of inequality. Many organisations need to recover the benefits of rank and excellence used in non-oppressive ways on behalf of all rather than the interests of the few. 

Surviving oppression or overcoming adversity can give you a certain kind of rank even heroic status.  Usually, however, the oppressed cannot defend themselves from the unaware/unintentional abuse of rank. They are often reduced to revenge and retaliation as a way of getting themselves noticed or getting to the table so their voice and point of view can be heard. Passivity, avoidance, shock and numbness are often the first reactions to abuse of rank - especially where it may be dangerous to oppose or resist. This may be followed by coalition building and using the strength of numbers to oppose. Ultimately they may resort to covert resistance, sabotage, or even violence if their voice and concern goes unheard or receives inadequate response.

Rank appears in organisations in so many ways besides hierarchical position.  The glass ceiling, in-groups, reflect a lack of consciousness on the part of the creators and maintainers of such barriers to participation and promotion. People who create or maintain them know they exist but find difficult to admit because they are often not intentional. Prejudice and stereotyping can also be a sign of hidden rank as does political correctness that can force prejudice into hiding and make it difficult to discuss.

We are all both abusers of rank and victims of it. As observers and onlookers of rank induced conflict, we also play a role, though often not a constructive one. We sometimes label those in conflict as subhuman or underdeveloped and deserving of the misery in which they are locked. We fail to see it as our problem also and fail to offer the help and support they need to be able to communicate effectively. 

The antidote to rank abuse is consciousness and the willingness to use our rank for the benefit of others as well as ourselves.The more conscious we are of rank the less conflict it will provoke. There are many different kinds of rank and several of these may be operating in any given conflict. It is important to be aware of and acknowledge all operating in a particular conflict. Failure to acknowledge some may mean that the conflict flares up again just as it seems about to be resolved. Fail to address rank issues and we run the risk of our relationships becoming more akin to Buber's "I" - "It" relationship - a kind of instrumental relationship that is disrespectful and degrading in an implied or unspoken way - a sure-fire way of generating conflict.