Book SummaryPower vs. Force, by David R. Hawkins

1-Page Summary1-Page Book Summary of Power vs. Force

Despite its title, Power vs. Force by David R. Hawkins is really about human consciousness: what it is, how to measure it, how you can boost your consciousness, and the benefits of doing so.

Hawkins (1927-2012) was a psychiatrist who specialized in treating schizophrenia and addiction. He founded or co-founded numerous organizations for psychiatric care, and he received many awards and citations for his contributions to medicine. Despite his prolific medical career, Hawkins is best known for his work in philosophy and spirituality. He spoke at many conferences and appeared on talk radio shows—including _Oprah...

Power vs. Force Summary What Is Consciousness?

Hawkins defines “consciousness” as the ability to experience and understand yourself and your environment. Hawkins says this is possible because your brain is like a biological computer: It takes in data through your senses, then processes that data with electrical and chemical signals, resulting in what you perceive as thoughts and experiences.

(Shortform note: The brain-as-computer metaphor is an old one, and hotly debated. Some experts argue that viewing thought as just a series of inputs and outputs misses the point of consciousness: that you’re not just a machine responding to stimuli, but rather a living being who[ experiences the...

Power vs. Force Summary Energy and Coercion

We’ve explored Hawkins’s studies into the nature of consciousness, the system he devised for measuring it, and why 200 is such a critical point on the consciousness scale. Now, we’ll look more closely at why he believed low levels of consciousness (below 200) are harmful for you and for the world—and, conversely, why high levels of consciousness (200 and above) lead to happiness for you and those around you. We’ll also explain why Hawkins titled this book Power vs. Force, and we’ll describe the key differences between those two things.

The Critical Point of 200

Hawkins says that 200 (bravery) is the point on the scale where you contribute at least as much as you take from society. The higher on the scale you go, the more of a net positive you become for the world. At higher levels of consciousness, you understand that the purpose of society is to help everyone live the best life possible and that contributing your resources and abilities to the common good will also improve your life.

People below 200 on the consciousness scale don’t understand this. They’re self-absorbed, so they take whatever they can from others without reciprocating. For example, someone with...

Power vs. Force Summary Summing It Up: The Virtuous Cycle

Throughout Power vs. Force, Hawkins emphasizes that improving your consciousness will drive you to keep improving. He’s arguably describing a virtuous cycle: a repetitive process where each step feeds constantly into the next, leading to better and better outcomes. (You could also call this a positive feedback loop.)

The virtuous cycle that Hawkins describes has four steps: develop cooperative energy, reduce your reliance on aggressive coercion, elevate your level of consciousness, and increase your receptiveness to truth. Each step leads to the next, with the final step (increase receptiveness to truth) leading back to the first (develop cooperative energy). These four steps...

Shortform Exercise: Boost Your Consciousness Level

You've read Hawkins's theories about what consciousness is, how to measure it, and how to increase it. Now, think about what your consciousness level is and how you might improve it.

Describe one area of your life where you tend to rely on aggressive coercion, rather than cooperative energy. (For example, maybe you tend to see your job as a competition instead of a collaborative effort with your colleagues.)