Weber distinguished three types of authority which he differentiated in terms of their sense of legitimation.
(1) Charismatic Authority:
This form authority is based on the particular qualities an individual exhibits, which brings about a very strong emotional devotion by his followers. The term charisma means the ‘gift of grace’ which originally had-a religions connotation but which is used in popular parlance to refer to someone who sways the crowds with his/her presence and personality. Leaders such as Mahatma Gandhi, Martin Luther King. Jr. has exercised a charismatic authority over their followers.
Charismatic authority is dependent on a person; it lasts as long as the person exists. In some cases, the charismatic authority has a sanction of tradition in which case it combines the elements of both personality and sacred tradition as in the case of the Tibetan spiritual and political head the Dalai Lama.
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(2) Traditional Authority:
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Traditional authority legitimated by a historic practice or custom. These practices are considered sacred by people and therefore inviolable. The divine origin attributed to a ruler or an emperor stems from the notion that the authority exercised is sacred and divine. According to Weber, the feudal system of authority is al- traditional because the relationship between feudal lords and vassals was based on custom and regarded as sacred.
Though many societies have adopted more modern forms of legitimacy, the vestiges of traditional authority can be found everywhere. The continuation or the ceremonial continuation of monarchy, whether in Britain or Japan is an expression of traditional authority.
(3) Legal Authority:
Legitimacy is based on rules, procedures and rational legal logic in the case of legal authority. Most modern democracies follow legal authority, in an ideal typical sense. To elect a president or prime minister of a country there are legal rules and laws which are laid down on, what Weber calls, rational procedures.
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These three formations Weber had proposed” are approximations or models for the purpose of categorisation and identification. In reality none of these types of authority exists in the true sense. For instance when people elect leaders who represent them to take on a government, they choose them on the basis of their charisma they exhibit as well.
The rules and procedures for exercise of authority as well as the process of electing a representative are also not always followed by the book. Nevertheless Weber gives a typology that is useful in identifying different sources of legitimacy.