The Logic of Attraction: Outline of a Theory of Soft Power

This paper refines and further develops the concept of soft power with the aim of exploring the ways human power works and the assets that give rise to soft power. To this end, the paper will answer three central questions: What is soft power? Where does soft power come from? How does soft power works? Answering these questions requires fundamentally a global and systematic mapping of the power behaviors. This paper maps the power behaviors by identifying the basic ways of power, which include a hard way and a soft way of power-over and a hard way and a soft way of power-with. Soft power results from the soft way of power-with. The assets that give rise to soft power are positive agential qualities, not intangible resources as many assume. These positive agential qualities include not just kindness but also competence and commitment. This paper outlines the process that generates soft power and sheds light on the causal mechanisms, both at the behavioral and the psychological levels, through which soft power works. The paper benefits greatly from research in multiple disciplines, including biology, psychology, economics, anthropology, sociology, and political science. It involves substantially and links together various phenomena discussed in different fields of study: signaling, indirect reciprocity, generalized exchange, prestige, status, and leadership. With the integration of these phenomena into a theory of soft power, the paper is able to provide a better explanation of indirect reciprocity, a more comprehensive explanation of the strategic logic of prestige-seeking, and a deeper explanation of charisma, among others.