SOCIOL 1101 Lecture Notes - Lecture 5: Kennedy Family, The Power Elite, Monarchy Of The United Kingdom
12 Nov 2016
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Document Summary
Distinct from the people who occupy them. This is one reason we can"t explain social phenomena solely in terms of individuals. Statuses and roles place constraints on behavior because they structure access to important social resources, especially power. Power is the ability to exercise one"s will over others (weber) At the social level, it is exercised through the state (political system) and the economy. Authority is the legitimate/accepted use of power (versus coercion/force) Traditional authority: exercise of power accepted because of tradition (ex. Often shaped by race, class, and gender. Charismatic authority: exercise of power accepted because of personality of the leader. Rational-legal authority: exercise of power accepted because of laws or rules. Oligarchy: rule by a small group (ex. Plutocracy: rule by the wealthy (including corporations: power resides with the people who assign authority to government actors, all citizens can participate as legal equals in decision making.
