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HARRY STACK SULLIVAN (1940) has stressed the point that the feeling of Power, in the sense of having influence in interpersonal situations with significant others, is crucial for the maintenance of a sense of self-esteem in the individual and, subsequently, for the development of emotional (interpersonal) maturity. This proposition proves to be essentially reciprocating in that it posits influence in interpersonal affairs as an ingredient for growth as well as, derivatively, the ability to accept the needs and wishes, i.e., the influence of others, as hygienic factors in interpersonal situations. In these terms, the definition of maturity as the opportunity to exercise influence and the ability, in turn, to be influenced by the legitimate wishes and needs, not to mention apprehensions and fears, of others can be seen as an expression of an essentially humanistic and democratic stance. In a parallel manner, Erich Fromm's description of the authoritarian character as pathological and deviant is also an expression of a basically humanistic stance. The development of this theme in Escape from Freedom(Fromm, 1941) leaves little doubt that maturity from this point of view is neither widespread nor easily maintained.
In contrast to Power in the sense of being influential in interpersonal affairs is the notion of Power-Over, in which the individual relies on the exercise or the illusion of control over