Legitimacy of authority

• Legitimacy to authority


  Authority that is agreed by society and accepted as necessary for society to function smoothly
• Hierarchical structure of societies


  • People in certain positions hold authority over the rest of us
  • Authority they wield is legitimate in the sense that it is agreed by society
  • Most of us accept that authority figures must be allowed to exercise social power over others
• Legitimate authority


  Authority that allows society to function smoothly, including the power to punish wrongdoers
• We are willing to give up some of our independence and to hand control of our behaviour over to people we trust to exercise their authority appropriately
• Learning acceptance of legitimate authority

  1. From childhood

  2. From parents initially

  3. Then from teachers and adults generally
• Destructive authority


  Legitimate authority used for destructive purposes, ordering people to behave in ways that are cruel and dangerous
• Strength

  Explains cultural differences in obedience. Studies show that countries differ in the degree to which people are obedient to authority. Kilham and Mann found 16% of Australian women went all the way to 450V.

  Mantell found a very different figure for German ppt- 85%. Some cultures authority is more likely to be accepted as legitimate and entitled to demand obedience from individuals.
• Limitation 

  Can’t explain instanced of disobedience in a hierarchy when the legitimacy of authority is clear and accepted. Rank and Jacobson study most were disobedient despite working in a strictly hierarchal authority structure. Significant minority of Milgram’s participant disobeyed despite recognising the Experimenter’s scientific authority.