The Power of a Society

In my previous blog, I spoke in detail about the 2 different types of power a person can hold individually and what it may look like to have either or both.

This time, I want to take a broader look at things and explore the role that society plays.

Personally, I believe that the structure of society is designed so that you are consistently distracted from your own power; and that it is almost made impossible for intrinsically powerful individuals to become interdependent and connect with each other for a greater purpose.

We can all be powerful individually, but nothing compares to a group of passionately interdependent people deciding to combine forces for a common cause.

But, as I said, society tends to block opportunities for interdependence in a myriad of ways.

Instead of being surrounded by examples of healthy interdependence, what we see a lot more of are the two extremes: co-dependent and hyper-independent behaviours, which are both characterised by unhealthy and dysfunctional behaviours.

A classic example of the promotion of hyper-independence is in the workplace.

The corporate world is very rigid.

Even in completely different industries, you can find similarities in the work culture.

For instance, one of the most common complaints employees make is the lack of effective communication. In fact, according to Pumble¹, “workplace communication statistics show that 86% of employees and executives cite the lack of effective collaboration and communication as the main causes of workplace failures”.

This means that there is more pressure on individuals to figure things out for themselves, to the point where asking for help can feel like failure or even underperformance.

And that’s just one of many examples that can have far-reaching effects.

On the surface, a hyper-independent person can seem like an ordinary, functioning adult; but on the inside they are disconnected, emotionally drained, burnt out, exhausted, drowning, isolated, almost never asking for help no matter how badly they need it.

Even if a person like this begins to activate their true intrinsic power, they may still find it a challenge to detach from those habits and begin to work with others.

A society made up of hyper-independent individuals unable to work together will forever be fractured.

Many of us have to grow out of these dysfunctional patterns in order to make progress in our own lives and as a collective.

At the same time, society also encourages co-dependent behaviours.

Through socialisation and family conditioning, it can seem like a virtue to sacrifice your needs to ‘keep the peace’ with family and friends or even to keep everything at work ticking over.

Even the types of relationships that are conveyed in the media are typically intensely passionate, all-consuming romances. As thrilling as they may seem on-screen, these portrayals actually romanticise co-dependent behavioural patterns.

Co-dependent behaviours can even seem humorous through a screen, but the reality is much more sobering and has serious ramifications.

Extreme self-neglect can lead to depression, anxiety, low self-esteem, resentment, illness and even loss of identity. As well as these negative consequences, you may also struggle to cope socially with poor boundaries, imbalanced relationship dynamics, unnecessarily carrying the emotional burdens of others and placing your similar burdens on others too.

Again, a society of co-dependent, unstable individuals is no better than the fractured, hyper-independent society I mentioned earlier.

Ultimately, by keeping us unable to exert power over ourselves, we will never be able to band together in any meaningful way, thus diminishing our powers as a whole society.

So what can we do about this?

First, I want you to stop thinking that ‘society’ is some sort of abstract way of referring to everybody else except you. Society refers to each and every one of us.

It refers to me. It refers to you. It refers to your family. It refers to everybody you cross paths with.

Part of the problem – part of what keeps us in a continuous cycle of powerlessness – is this idea that we don’t have to do anything...or that we can’t do anything to make an impact.

It is this very ideology that holds us back as a collective.

We’ve got to give ourselves the power back and start taking collective responsibility by asking ourselves the tough questions:

• How are we treating each other? How am I treating others?

• How are we making others feel? How do I make others feel?

• How are we empowering ourselves AND others in the process? How am I empowering myself and others?

• What can WE do to build each other up? What can I do to build others up?

Remember: just because ‘society’ says so, it doesn’t mean that it has to be so.

You don’t have to follow norms and ascribe to failing ideologies.

Take a step back, reflect on your own life and how you move through each day and ask yourself: how can I be a part of the solution? And then take action.

Every small action can lead to big results for all of us.

The other step we each need to take, in order to move in the right direction and start moving forward as a powerful collective, is to heal ourselves.

When each of identifies our wounds, understands them and does the work required rebuild even stronger than before, we give ourselves the opportunity to develop a healthy view of ourselves.

With this healthy outlook also comes functional, interdependent behaviours.

Spending time with self, without being too isolated allows us to see our value.

Seeing the value we bring to ourselves also lets us see the value that we can give to others and our higher self-esteem will allow us to make contributions to the whole, and also allow us to accept help from others without feeling like a burden.

Being interdependent first requires that you know yourself and the power you hold individually, but following the rules of society will not help you discover that.

Follow your own journey, forge your own path and know that power is yours to wield and it is also a collective responsibility.

¹ Pumble, Workplace Communication Statistics in 2025, accessed 5 February 2026, <https://pumble.com/learn/communication/communication-statistics/>

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