Define power and authority. What are the three kinds of authority identified by Weber? Describe each type and give examples

Question

Please provide the best answer for the statement.

Answer 1

1. Power is the ability to make people do what you want them to do, whether or not they want to do it. Authority is power that is perceived as legitimate by both power holders and those who are subjected to it.
2. The three kinds of authority identified by Weber are traditional, charismatic, and legal-rational.
3. Traditional authority draws its legitimacy from tradition; people do things because they have always done them that way. Examples are found in religion, government, and the family, where we obey some rules because we have always done so.
4. With charismatic authority, people obey because of the characteristics of a leader who is so personally compelling that people follow the leader, even if he or she has no traditional claims to authority. Examples include Jesus and religious prophets, as well as many political leaders, such as Roosevelt, Kennedy, Ghandi, and Hitler.
5. In legal-rational authority, leaders are to be obeyed because of rationally derived laws. Examples include the police, the prison system, and the IRS.