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    Types of Authority

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    Kateryna Sakharova
    Max Weber identified three types of authority: traditional authority which is based on long-standing customs, legal-rational authority which derives power from written rules and laws, and charismatic authority which comes from a leader's exceptional personal qualities and appeal. Traditional authority is absolute and based on tradition, legal-rational authority limits power through established laws and rules, and charismatic authority relies more on followers' beliefs than a leader's actual attributes. Most political systems combine elements of these different forms of authority.

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    Types of Authority

    Uploaded by

    Kateryna Sakharova
    134 views6 pages
    Max Weber identified three types of authority: traditional authority which is based on long-standing customs, legal-rational authority which derives power from written rules and laws, and charismatic authority which comes from a leader's exceptional personal qualities and appeal. Traditional authority is absolute and based on tradition, legal-rational authority limits power through established laws and rules, and charismatic authority relies more on followers' beliefs than a leader's actual attributes. Most political systems combine elements of these different forms of authority.

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    Max Weber identified three types of authority: traditional authority which is based on long-standing customs, legal-rational authority which derives power from written rules and laws, and charismatic authority which comes from a leader's exceptional personal qualities and appeal. Traditional authority is absolute and based on tradition, legal-rational authority limits power through established laws and rules, and charismatic authority relies more on followers' beliefs than a leader's actual attributes. Most political systems combine elements of these different forms of authority.

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    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as PPTX, PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
    Download as pptx, pdf, or txt
    134 views6 pages

    Types of Authority

    Uploaded by

    Kateryna Sakharova
    Max Weber identified three types of authority: traditional authority which is based on long-standing customs, legal-rational authority which derives power from written rules and laws, and charismatic authority which comes from a leader's exceptional personal qualities and appeal. Traditional authority is absolute and based on tradition, legal-rational authority limits power through established laws and rules, and charismatic authority relies more on followers' beliefs than a leader's actual attributes. Most political systems combine elements of these different forms of authority.

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    Types of Power

    Traditional Authority
    Legal Rational Authority
    Charismatic Authority
    The term authority
    • refers to power that has been institutionalized and is
    recognized by the people over whom it is exercised.
    • Sociologist commonly use the term in connection with those
    who hold legitimate power through elected or publicly
    acknowledged positions.
    • A person′s authority is limited by the constraints of a particular
    position.
    • Max Weber identified three ideal types of authority: traditional,
    legal-rational, and charismatic. Sociologists and politicians have
    found Weber′s typology to be quite valuable in understanding
    different manifestations of legitimate power within society.
    Traditional Authority
    • In political system based on traditional authority,
    legitimate power is conferred by custom and accepted
    practice.
    • Traditional leader authority rests in customs, not in
    personal characteristics, technical competence, or even
    written law.
    • Traditional authority is absolute in many instances
    because the ruler has the ability to determine laws and
    policies.
    • A leader may take on the image of having divine guidance.
    Legal-Rational Authority
    • Power made legitimate by law is known as legal-rational
    authority.
    • Leaders of such societies derive their authority from the
    written rules and regulations of political systems.
    • E.g. the authority of the president of the US and the
    Congress is legitimized by the American Constitution.
    • They are not viewed as having divine ispiration.
    • The US, as a society, which values the rule of law, has
    legally defined limits on the power of povernment.
    Power is assigned to position, not to individuals.
    Charismatic Authority
    • Weber also observed that power can be legitimized by the
    charisma of an individual.
    • The term charismatic authority refers to power made
    legitimate by a leader′s exceptional personal or emotional
    appeal to his or her followers.
    • Charisma allows a person to lead or inspire without relying
    on set rules or traditons.
    • Such authority is derived more from the beliefs of loyal
    followers than from the actual qualities of leaders.
    • Charismatic leaders also associate themselves with widely
    respected cultural and religious heroes.
    Combining elements
    • As was noted earlier, Weber used traditional, legal-
    rational, and charismatic authority as ideal types.
    • In reality, particular leaders and political systems
    combine elements of two or more of these forms.
    • President Franklin D. Roosevelt and Jonh F. Kennedy
    wielded power largely through the legal-rational
    basis of their authority. At the same time, they were
    charismatic leaders who commanded the personal
    loyality of large numbers of Americans.

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