Types of Authority
Weber's discussion of authority relations--why men claim
authority, and feel they have a legitimate right to expect
willing obedience to their command--illustrates
his use of the ideal type as an analytical tool and his
classification of types of social action.
Weber distinguished three main modes of claiming legitimacy.
Authority may be based on rational grounds and anchored in
impersonal rules that have been legally
enacted or contractually established. This type is
rational