Deciding what to watch on TV is a battle of wills that is fought in homes all over the world.
According to psychologists (心理学家), it is much more serious than simply deciding between
a soap opera and a sports program, or between pop music and politics. This television conflict
is part of a bigger power game which goes on in homes, even though most of the players do not
realize that they are playing a game at all.  "It's such a game as is not easy to notice," says
psychologist Dr David Lewis, "that many people don't even know they're playing it."
    Unconsciously, people begin to play the game as soon as they meet their future husband or
wife. By the time the couple get married, the rules of game are already formed. The big decision,
like where to live and which school to send the children to, are usually joint decision. When it
comes to less important things, it's a different matter. Here is just one example of this process at
work. A husband looks through a pile of holiday brochures (小册子) and announces his preference:
"The South of France". And his wife quickly agrees before he realizes that the only brochures she
gave him were those for the South of France. Similarly, she may decide on how the home should
be decorated, but he chooses the new car and decides what the family does at weekends.
     "Family power struggles are interesting," says Dr Lewis. "Of course, some people are naturally
more dominant (占支配地位的) than others, and the most dominant personality in a family tries
to lead. These days, even though so many couples make a special effort to have a true and equal
partnership, men generally have a greater need to appear to be in physical control. Women, on the
other hand, are not so interested in physical control as in emotional control.  On the whole, they're
more controlling and can make the man think of something as his idea in the first place."