Why I’m Rethinking a Word Everyone Loves

Words matter.

When we explain our thinking, when we write documents, when we speak - words shape more than sentences. They shape how we lead, how we relate, how we’re understood. One word can shift the meaning of the work we do - or the mindset behind it. That’s why I’ve been thinking hard about one word in particular.

Is there a word that you feel is overused? Or a buzz word that rubs you the wrong way? Or a word that just starts to feel different? I have one that has started to make me think more deeply about: 'empower'.

Recently, I have been reading and researching about agency and autonomy, related both to student and adult learners. A word that shows up a LOT is 'empower'. Let me be clear: I don't hate the word. But I’ve started to question it.

I was rummaging through my old personal Google Drive, knowing that I had a plethora of articles and resources about agency from previous schools, workshops, and reading. I came across some screenshots from a webinar I attended in 2019 (**see below). And one stood out to me. The slide was encouraging the use of the word 'enable' instead of 'empower'.

It explained that empowering is about someone higher up giving power, while enabling is about helping people grow their own abilities. Furthermore, enabling means supporting others by building trust, encouraging learning, and creating a safe and respectful environment. That’s when I thought: “Empower” still puts someone else in charge of the power.

What’s Really Behind ‘Empower’?

(Thanks to ChatGPT for this quick etymology dive!)

Definition:

Dictionary meanings typically define empower as:

To give (someone) the authority or power to do something.

Etymology:

• Derived from "em-" (into or in) + "power".

• Historically and linguistically, "empower" literally means "to put power into."

Historical Usage and Meaning:

Historically, "empower" (from around the 17th century) was used specifically in legal or governmental contexts to mean "to grant authority or rights formally," for example, empowering someone through a legal document or official appointment.

Its use evolved in the 20th century, particularly in social justice and educational contexts, to imply "making someone stronger or more confident," which carried implicit assumptions about the transfer of authority or capacity from someone who had it to someone who did not.

Why the Origin Matters:

Because "empower" inherently meant "to grant or bestow power or authority," its historical roots imply an initial imbalance or hierarchy of power.

Thus, when used in educational contexts emphasizing agency and autonomy, it unintentionally implies learners are initially powerless and dependent upon authority figures to grant them capability.

My Initial Thoughts

Using the word in an educational setting suggests that power initially resides externally (with teachers or institutions), and that students depend on receiving this power to be effective learners.

Power Dynamics:

"Empower" implicitly positions teachers as gatekeepers who decide whether or not students are worthy or ready to handle responsibility and autonomy. This can unintentionally reinforce a hierarchy where power must be granted rather than inherently possessed. Traditionally in schools, this hierarchy has been the cornerstone of teaching, but we are moving away from that compliance- and task-driven model. Aren't we?

Agency & Autonomy Conflict:

Autonomy, particularly as defined by Deci and Ryan (2012) ("A desire to self-organise experience and behaviour"), and agency, as defined by Bandura (2001) ("the ability to exercise control over one's own thought processes, motivation, and action"), inherently require that learners already have power and capacity within themselves. Thus, the concept of "empowering" could unintentionally diminish the innate capability of students as active, capable, and inherently powerful learners.

John Wenger (2014) puts it brilliantly:

Empower, to me, presumes that the one who empowers has the power to begin with and grants it to the other... If I am the granter of power, I remain in the position of taking it back.

That’s the heart of it for me. Language shapes mindset - and when we say we “empower” learners, are we subtly reinforcing that they’re powerless to begin with? What if our role isn’t to empower, but to trust, honour, and get out of the way so they can access the capability that’s already there?

So, does the word 'empower' inadvertently undermine the recognition of learners as naturally capable, proactive, and inherently powerful?

Maybe it does. Maybe it doesn’t. But lately, I’m leaning toward a different word: honour. It communicates trust. Respect. Recognition that the power is already there.

We don’t give it. We see it. We honour it.

References:

Bandura, A. (2001). Social cognitive theory: An agentic perspective. Annual Review of Psychology, 52, 1–26. https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev.psych.52.1.1

ChatGPT. "Dissecting the Word ‘Empower’ - definition, etymology and historic usage." ChatGPT, OpenAI, 22 May 2025, https://chat.openai.com/.

Deci, E. L., & Ryan, R. M. (2012). Self-determination theory. In P. A. M. Van Lange, A. W. Kruglanski, & E. T. Higgins (Eds.), Handbook of theories of social psychology (pp. 416–436). Sage Publications Ltd. https://doi.org/10.4135/9781446249215.n21

Wenger, John. “Why you can’t empower someone. Effective leading is about enabling (not empowering)" Medium, 22 April 2014, https://medium.com/@johnqshift/1053ddbb765c. Accessed 19 May 2025.

**I wish I could properly cite the webinar here. All I can detect is that it was held on 3rd October 2019 by an organization called Modern Learners. The logo is different now, but looking at their content and seeing this: "we are continuing to do more labs around the world in 2019" on this page of their website, I think it's probably the same people.