Power and Authority Terms Flashcards
Power
Influence or control over the behaviors of people
4 types:
1) Coercive
2) Persuasive
3) Hegemony
4) Authority
Coercive Power
use of force, legitimate or illegitimate, whether by individuals or groups
-negative or positive
Persuasive Power
the use of words, relationships, and actions that influence others
-informal, strengthen relationships (give and take)
Hegemony (hegemonic power)
- power dominated through culture
- the dominance of ideas or cultures, such that imbalances of power or other inequalities are maintained
Authority
the right granted to exercise power
Formal Negative Sanctions
fines or other punishments meted out for breaking official rules
Formal Positive Sanctions
official rewards for socially desirable behavior
Informal Sanctions
Positive or Negative actions or words intended to shape behavior.
Information Sanctions are not approved or delivered by official organizations such as government
-not formalized by institutions
Band
the most ancient political system, in which power and authority are organized in informal, decentralized ways
- small no more than 100-200
- egalitarian decisions
- persuasive power
Weapons of the Weak
People who seemingly don’t have power, have power
Tribes
a decentralized political system usually associated with horticultural and pastoral modes of subsistence
-strong kinship (family) ties
Chiefdoms/Kingdoms
a system of political organization involving an inheritable office, often passed through a family line, in which power adheres to the occupant of the office rather than being a product of his or her individual gifts, abilities, or qualities
state
a highly centralized form of political organization in which authority rests in institutions and offices
- heiarchical
- power rests in the offices
politics
the distribution, understanding, and use of power in social groups
