Power is present throughout social life. It operates through institutions, roles, procedures, norms, resources, authority structures, technologies, and material arrangements.
Within APS, Social Power is not inherently legitimate or illegitimate. It may support cooperation, protection, coordination, and collective achievement. It may also contribute to exclusion, dependency, domination, or exploitation.
Power should therefore be understood as an organisational feature of social systems rather than merely as personal influence or coercive force.
Social Organisation ↓ Social Power ↓ Participation, Opportunity, Constraint
APS treats Social Power as a central component of social organisation because it shapes the conditions under which evaluation, action, and responsibility occur.