Rational-legal authority

Authority accepted because it rests on shared impersonal rules, laws and recognised offices.

Authority accepted because it rests on shared, impersonal rules and legally established positions.

Rational-legal authority rests on acceptance of shared, impersonal rules. People recognise the powers attached to a position established by those rules. A teacher’s authority to organise a classroom illustrates this: a replacement teacher can exercise the same authority because it belongs to the role.

For rational-legal authority, link obedience to the office and its rules, not to the office-holder’s personality.

Authority accepted because it rests on recognised laws, rules and official positions, rather than on the individual holding the position.

The German sociologist Max Weber examined the different reasons people accept authority. His explanation focuses not simply on who is in charge, but on why followers believe that person or institution has the right to be in charge. He identified three types: traditional, charismatic and rational-legal authority.

Definition

How each exam board covers it

AQA GCSE Sociology · 8192

Exam tips

Get more free notes every week

Eduqas GCSE Sociology · C200