Power and authority
- Power is the ability to get your own way, even against the resistance of others (Weber's definition).
- Authority is power that is seen as legitimate, so people accept it willingly. Coercion is power based on force.
Weber's types of authority
- Traditional authority: based on custom and tradition, such as a monarch.
- Charismatic authority: based on a leader's exceptional personal qualities, such as Martin Luther King.
- Legal-rational authority: based on rules and laws, such as a police officer or an elected politician.
Power in society
- The state (government, parliament, the civil service, the armed forces and the police) holds formal power.
- Other groups also hold power: pressure groups, trade unions, big businesses and the media.
- Feminists highlight patriarchy: men holding more power in the family, work and politics. Walby identified patriarchy in several areas of society, including paid work, the household and the state.
Key terms
- Power
- The ability to get your own way despite resistance.
- Authority
- Power seen as legitimate.
- Coercion
- Power based on force.
- Traditional authority
- Authority based on custom, such as a monarch.
- Charismatic authority
- Authority based on a leader's personal qualities.
- Legal-rational authority
- Authority based on rules and laws.
- The state
- The organisations that govern a country.