Examine Whether or not Power is the Same as Authority.

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Matthew Watson

Examine Whether or not Power is the Same as Authority.

A simple definition of power could be the ability both to demand that people do something, and to say how a thing should be done or organised. Authority, however, is where power is granted by consent; and when an individual or committee is said to have authority, the reason that justifies this authority is known as legitimacy. The term "power struggle" implies that one side has used power over another to determine the outcome in their favour. This also leads to the suggestion that power can involve the use of coercion either by diplomatic, financial means or by force. The difference between power and authority lies with legitimacy. Authority by its very definition means 'legitimate power' and according to Jouvenel those who are subject to authority accept it voluntarily without coercion or the threat of brute force. The line between power and authority lies without the rules which secure it. For example a Governments authority is said to be legitimate because it is given the right to rule by the electorate, it then has the obligation to follow the explicit legal rules of Government and the conventions of the parliamentary process. There are three types of Authority. The first type, charismatic authority rests on the appeal of leaders who claim allegiance because of their extraordinary virtuosity, whether ethical, heroic or religious. Examples of people who have become powerful due to their following could be Hitler, Mother Teresa, Ghandi or even Margaret Thatcher. In some cases, people are drawn to the leader because of their qualities, and their authority may continue to thrive even after they die. Although this notion of charisma may lack a straight definition, its importance lies in Weber's development of the idea that the leader derives his role from the belief that his followers have about his mission.
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The second definition of authority is traditional legitimacy, which is based on a belief in the sanctity of tradition or 'the eternal yesterday', and although it is not codified, certain people may inherit it or be invested with it by a higher authority. Although traditional authority may be associated with pre - modern societies due to the undemocratic nature, Britain and many other countries have the tradition of a hereditary monarchy, which demands that a new monarch commands as much obedience and loyalty as the previous monarch commanded.

The last type of authority defined by the ...

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