# List of power types

NOTE: While an extensive list of *all* the forms of power is impossible, I've compiled this list to [express](people-conversation.md) its range. This list is infinitely expandable as human [purpose](purpose.md) finds [creative](mind-creativity.md) [methods](creations.md) to [accomplish things](results.md).

[Human Capital](economics.md)

- [Creativity](mind-creativity.md) - can accomplish a purpose using methods outside of others' [expectations](imagination.md).
- Wisdom - [general](philosophy.md) [understanding](understanding.md) of [reality](reality.md).
- Expertise - having a [specialized](jobs-specialization.md) [understanding](understanding.md) of things, *especially* of how to wield all the other forms of power.
- Aptitude - ability to physically [do things](results.md).
- Experience - possessing memory of places and events.

Natural

- Time - how much [time](maturity.md) before the end of a period, or before [dying](hardship-death.md).
- Energy - physical reserves for manipulating our [environment](reality.md).
- [Habits](habits.md) - routine behaviors that magnify long-term [purposes](purpose.md), often including ambition or kindness.
- [Technology](technology.md) - [created](creations.md) things that help us magnify our [efforts](results.md), can be scaled in quantity or varying degrees of [effectiveness](purpose.md).
- Energy - natural resources like electricity or coal that make [technology](technology.md) run.

Social (also known as "politics")

- Status - general [opinions](image.md) from others.
- Coercive - can [punish](people-rules.md) people, driven by others' [fears](mind-feelings-fear.md).
- Reward - can [reward](results.md) people, driven by others' [loves](people-love.md).
- Likability/[Influence](power-influence.md) - how much people will [enjoy](purpose.md) or [trust](trust.md) being with them.
- Formal - [honor](image.md) or an official title bestowed by a [group](groups-member.md), often established by the [culture](people-culture.md).
- Fame - [familiarity](image.md) with a name.
- Property/Wealth - ownership of things, [people](slavery.md), [intellectual properties](legal-ip.md), or [rights](people-boundaries.md) that can accomplish a [purpose](purpose.md).
- Money - a specific means of stockpiling others' [power](power.md) for later, with each person basing its [value](values-quality.md) on how much they [believe](understanding-certainty.md) everyone else [values](values-quality.md) it (i.e., [economics](economics.md)). It's relatively [measurable](math.md) compared to all the other forms of power, and is one of the few that we can trade.

Contextual

- Information - has the means to accomplish a very specific [purpose](purpose.md) with very specific knowledge, which can frequently include awareness of [trends](trends.md).
- [Willful](purpose.md) Ignorance - by not knowing something, we don't have to [lie](people-lying.md) to claim ignorance.
- Unforgiveness - by not [forgiving](mind-feelings-happiness-stress.md) someone, we can use it for our [purposes](purpose.md) later through blame.
- Powerlessness/[Victimhood](hardship-ptsd.md) - it's impossible to be blamed for something we couldn't [control](results.md).
- Absence - by not having, we have the future means to gain something, which may increase another power in the process of gaining.
- Blackmail/Extortion - by giving something, you can get something in return later.
- Shame/guilt - using someone's present or prior feelings of [shame or guilt](mind-feelings-shame.md) about hurting someone else's [feelings](mind-feelings.md) or breaking a [rule](people-rules.md).

## Social Modifiers

NOTE: Social modifiers "tweak" power. None of these are legitimately as powerful as a similar one from the above list, but they can often [appear](image.md) to be.

Expectations - any [perception](image.md) of the above power, based on the [past](stories-storytellers.md).

Anticipation - any perception of the above power, but predicted in the [future](imagination.md).

Reference - [familiar](people-4_friends.md) with other people with the means to do any of the above, which frequently includes [family](people-family.md) or [cultural ties](people-culture.md).

Narrative - [language](language.md) skills to [adapt](mind-creativity.md) or [distort](image-distortion.md) the [appearance](image.md) of [reality](reality.md) to fit a [desirable](purpose.md) [story](stories.md), typically with the ability to blame others.

Subdivisions - anything that breaks out power where multiple people can own the same thing:

- Usage rights - the right to use something without owning it (e.g., renting, mining rights, streaming media services).
- Group affiliation - [connection with](groups-member.md) or [leadership](groups-small.md) of a collectively powerful organization.

Secrets - information that others don't know, which disseminates in approximately equal portions from [understanding](understanding.md) and [gossip](people-conversation.md).