When insufficient numbers of individuals perform the conduct necessary for an institution to function, its social operation diminishes and the power resting on it disappears.
Domain: Institutionalisation and Power
Proposition 032 – Internalisation strengthens institutional conformity
The more strongly the civilisation elements associated with an institution have been incorporated into personal and circle civilisations, the more likely people are to act in accordance with that institution.
Proposition 031 – Sources of institutional conformity
Conduct in accordance with an institution rests on internalised civilisation elements, but also on habit, dependency, social pressure or coercion.
Proposition 030 – Actors exercise institutional power
Power arising from institutionalised civilisation elements is exercised not by those institutions but by actors who act within or in accordance with the institution.
Proposition 029 – Institutions strengthen power bases
Institutionalised civilisation elements strengthen the power bases of actors.
Proposition 028 – Narrative as interpretive framework
A narrative provides standards by which judgements, goals and courses of action for new situations can be derived from general civilisation elements.
Proposition 027 – Narrative and transmissibility
A narrative makes a system of ideas transmissible and capable of legitimation and makes its support base recognisable.
Proposition 026 – Coherence through systems of ideas
A system of ideas creates coherence among several civilisation elements and thereby influences their formation, interpretation, mutual consistency, transmission and further dissemination.
Proposition 025 – Institutionalisation creates social givens
Through institutionalisation, civilisation elements may be objectified and come to function as social givens.
Power base
A property, position, resource, relation of dependency or circumstance on which an actor’s capacity to influence, constrain or direct the thinking, judgement or conduct of other individuals or social circles partly rests.