Question:

Max Weber outlined three distinct types of authority. Identify them.
(A) Ascribed Authority
(B) Traditional Authority
(C) Charismatic Authority
(D) Legal-Rational Authority
Choose the correct answer from the options given below:

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Max Weber's Three Types of Legitimate Authority:
1. Traditional (customs and past heritage).
2. Charismatic (personal magnetic appeal/sanctity).
3. Legal-Rational (written laws and bureaucratic institutions).
Updated On: Sep 4, 2026
  • (A), (B) and (D) only
  • (A), (B) and (C) only
  • (A), (C) and (D) only
  • (B), (C) and (D) only
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The Correct Option is D

Solution and Explanation

Concept:
In political anthropology and sociology, Max Weber developed a tripartite typology of legitimate domination and authority.
Authority refers to power that is accepted and perceived as legitimate by subordinates rather than enforced through sheer coercion.
This question asks to identify the three classical ideal types of legitimate authority formulated by Weber.

Step 1: Analyzing Weber's Three Types of Authority:

1. Traditional Authority (B): Legitimacy based on long-established customs, sacred traditions, and inherited status (e.g., hereditary monarchies, tribal chieftainships, patriarchal rule).
2. Charismatic Authority (C): Legitimacy derived from extraordinary personal qualities, heroism, sanctity, or visionary appeal of an individual leader (e.g., religious prophets, revolutionary figures).
3. Legal-Rational Authority (D): Legitimacy grounded in codified, impersonal, formal laws, institutionalized procedures, and bureaucratic offices (e.g., modern democratic states, civil services).

Step 2: Evaluating Non-Weberian Categories:

Ascribed Authority (A): While ascription relates to social status (as opposed to achieved status in Ralph Linton's terminology), it does not constitute one of Max Weber's three formal types of authority.

Step 3: Final Answer:

The three types of authority defined by Max Weber are Traditional (B), Charismatic (C), and Legal-Rational (D).
Therefore, Option (D) is the correct answer.
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