In sociology, authority is the legitimate or socially approved power which one person or a group possesses and practices over another. The element of legitimacy is vital to the notion of authority and is the main means by which authority is distinguished from the more general concept of power. Power can be exerted by the use of force or violence. Authority, by contrast, depends on the acceptance by subordinates of the right of those above them to give them orders or directives. Types The types of political authority were first defined by Max Weber in his essay "Politics as a Vocation" and his other writings in 1919–1920. In this essay he emphasized that the political authority that controlled the state can be composed of the following types of authority, or what is called in German, Herrschaft.Traditional authority: Power legitimized by respect for long-established cultural patterns. Charismatic authority: Power legitimized by extraordinary personal abilities that inspire devotion and obedience. Rational-legal authority: Also known as bureaucratic authority, is when power is legitimized by legally...