Power must therefore be distinguished from coercion (Zwang) to do something concrete and specified. The possible choices of the person being coerced are reduced to zero. In borderline cases coercion resorts to the use of physical violence and thereby to the substitution of one's own action for unattainable action from others. Power loses its function of bridging double contingency the closer it comes to coercion. Coercion means the surrender of the advantages of symbolic generalization and of steering the partner's selectivity. The person exercising coercion must himself take over the burden of selection and decision to the same degree as coercion is being exercised – for many cases we can even say that coercion has to be exercised, where there is a lack of power. The reduction of complexity is not distributed but is transferred to the person using coercion. Whether this is the sensible thing to do depends on how complex and variable are the situations where decisions about action have to be made.

DEFINE: Distinguishes power from coercion: power succeeds by symbolic generalization, while coercion offloads the burden of selection and decision onto the coercer.

Niklas Luhmann, Trust and Power, loc. 596