Max Weber's typology of power

Max Weber's typology of power: 

Type of power
Coercion		Authority
	Charismatic	Traditional	Legal-rational
People are forced to do as they are told under threat of punishment( for example, in a prison or a school class room)	People obey because of the personal qualities of the person doing the telling. Well known charismatic figures include Jesus Christ, Hitler, Chairman Mao and so forth. However, charismatic figures arise in any social grouping and such people assume positions of authority over others on the basis of personal qualities of leadership perceived in that individual by other group members.	Those who exercise authority to do so because they continue a tradition and support the preservation and continuation of existing values and social ties (for example, The Royal Family).	Those in authority give orders(and expect they will be obeyed) because their job gives them the right to give orders. Anyone who fills the same position has right to give orders, which means this type of authority is not based upon the personal qualities of the individual. Orders are only to be obeyed if they are relevant to the situation in which they are given (for example, a teacher could reasonably expect the order to “complete your homework by Thursday” to be obeyed by a student in their class. The teacher could not reasonably expect that same order issued to the student’s parent would be obeyed. Similarly the order to “Go down the street and get me a newspaper” would not be seen as a legitimate order for the teacher to give his/her student, hence student the student would not feel compelled to obey). This form of power is the typical form that exists in our society and is sometimes referred to as “bureaucratic” power since it is based upon status of an individual’s position in social hierarchy, rather than individual himself.