A Theory of Power Convergence: The Cumulative Individual

This article develops a theory of power convergence centered on the cumulative individual. Existing theories illuminate distinct dimensions of authority—coercive, structural, symbolic, psychological, networked—but how they converge within a single actor remains underdeveloped. The article argues that these domains increasingly converge within individual actors, accelerated though not first made possible by contemporary mediation and connectivity, so that such actors function as systems of power. Power accumulates through recursive feedback among performance, amplification, affect, and institutional response. Distinguishing this configuration from Clegg's circuits, Barnett and Duvall's taxonomy, and Bourdieu's conversion of capital, the article formalizes it as a systems model—personal, systemic, and inherently volatile.