Explain How Legitimate And Illegitimate Power Differs And The Differences Between Influence And Authority.

BAYERO UNIVERSITY, KANO

FACULTY OF SOCIAL AND MANAGEMENT SCIENCE

DEPARTMENT OF SOCIOLOGY

COURSE CODE: SOC 1202

COURSE TITLE: INTRODUCTION TO SOCIOLOGY II

GROUP 83 ASSIGNMENT

S/NO	NAMES	REG NO	SIGN
1	YUSUF ABDUL	SMS/15/POL/00002
2	ABDULLAHI INUSA SA’IDU	SMS/15/POL/00169
3	TAJUDDEEN GARBA SULE	SMS/15/IRS/00050
4	NUHU MUHAMMAD SALLAU	SMS/15/IRS/00046
5	CHARLES IFEANYI PIUS	SMS/15/POL/00160

QUESTION: Explain How Legitimate And Illegitimate Power Differs And The

   Differences Between Influence And Authority.

September 2016

INTRODUCTION

 The term power derived from Latin word ‘potere’ which means to be able, According Max Weber power  “is possibility of imposing ones will upon the behavior of other persons” power for him, involves domination a reciprocal relationship between the rulers and the ruled in which the actual of compliance only one aspect of the fact that the power of command exist. For Lasswell and Kaplan, power is a special case of exercise of influence. It is the process of affecting the policies of  others  with the help of [actual or threatened] severe deprivations for non-conformity with the policies intended.

Carl Fredrick sees power as the capacity of an individual or groups of individuals to modify the conduct of others in the manner in which he decides. This accords with Bertrand Russellls concise definition of power as ‘the production of intended result on others in the manner which he desires.’ In the same vein, Robert Dahl sees power as the products of human relationships. Mr. A has power over Mr. B to the extent that he can get Mr. B to do something that he would not otherwise do.

From all above. The word power drive views, it is clear that political is social power. It is power exercised by over men and not over nature or things. Power is ability to get things done, to make others do what we want, even if they do not want to do it. A variety of means can be used to persuade people to do things, but power always has as its base the ability to reward or punish. Power presupposes something that only exist  some interaction between the parties in conflict.

LEGITIMATE POWER

Law is the central source of power which lead to categorization of power into legitimate and illegitimate.

The term legitimacy is derived from Latin word ‘legitimus’ which means lawful or according law. Therefore, legitimacy means a situation of being lawful. It may also be said that legitimacy as the most appropriate and being in line with the laws of the of the land. This means acceptance of a political system or an administration because it is in compliance with the laid down rules and regulations. Therefore, a legitimate government is one that is constitutionally elected and acceptable to populace.

Legitimate power is also known as positional in an organizations hierarchy. job description for example, require junior workers to report to managers and give managers  the power to assign duties affectively, the person holding it must be deemed to have to have earned it legitimately. An example of legitimate power is that held by a company’s CEOs.

So also legitimate power is a power a person drive from your formal position pr office held in the organization hierarchy of authority. For example, the president of corporation has certain powers because of the he holds in the corporation. Where most power, legitimates power is based upon perception and reality. It is based on the reality that a person holds on particular position in an organization. It is also based on the perception of an employee that someone holding that position has authority has one distinct advantage over many other sources of authority which that it is based usually upon some objective rule or law of the organization.

ILLEGIMATE POWER

While in other hand, The Ancient Athenians distinguished between legitimate and illegitimate power in terms of a contrast between power that accorded to the dictates of law (nomos) and power which exalted the glorification of a specific individual (hubris). In the work of Aristotle, arguably the world’s first empirical political scientist, this became refined in terms of a six-fold classification of governments according to whose interests are served. Monarchy is the government of the many in the interests of all, Aristocracy by the few in the interests of all, Constitutional government is by the majority in the interests of all, while the corrupt illegitimate versions of this are Tyranny, Oligarchy and Democracy, in which the one, the few or the majority each govern in their own interests, disregarding the interests of the whole.

Differences between legitimate and illegitimate

Legitimate power is a power given to individuals willingly by others, is called ‘authority’ for example;

1] Legitimate power is lawful a power which is constitutionally recognized.

2] Legitimate power also is the one that elected government exercised over its citizens

3] Legitimate government exercised legitimate power because they came into power through the procedures of election not barrel of guns

4] legitimate power also is the power which get origin from norms values of a particular society.

Illegitimate power is a power taken by force or the threat of force. For example;-

1] A government that came into through coup de ta, that government is illegitimate

2]  arm robbers use illegitimate power influence a person to do something that he would not otherwise do

DIFFERENCES BETWEEN INFLUNENCE AND AUTHORITY    

Authority is a social, political and business structure that grants an individual rights to make decisions and give orders. Authority is how the world goes around. It’s the basis for government and many businesses, families, etc.

Influence is an equally common and powerful phenomenon that relies on nothing more than words and relationships.

Authority is the power or right to give orders and make decisions. While influence is the to affect ideas and actions.

 Influence refers to the process by which power and authority is exercised and authority is legitimate. Power is define in terms of potential or capacity for action.

Together and authority determine the resources and receptions that under guard social interaction. Between two capacity of affective power, access to resources and the ability to obtain cooperation, second capacity second capacity refers to the exercise of influence.

Influence if determined by, but not identical to power and authority, Yuki has called the study of influence the ‘bridge between the power and approach and behavior approach to leadership’

Influence behavior, beliefs and/or values an individual or group in each case, some sort of power/authority    dynamic exists between the agent and the target of the influence attempt.

Influence behavior is exerted in one of their direction upward downward or lateral where as power and authority is exerted into tow direction upward and downward. Direction of influence directed outward to those outside of one’s own organization. On the other hand power can be used beyond the organization but authority is only exercised within    the organization or limited area.

Influence refers to the processes by which power and authority is exercised and authority is legitimated, power is define in terms of potential or capacity for action

Together power and authority determine the resources and perception that under-gird social interaction between two capacity of effective power and authority. Access to resources and the ability to obtain cooperation, second capacity refer to the exercise of influence.

Influence if determined by but not identical to power and authority has called the study of influence the bridge between the power approach and behavior to leadership.

Influence behavior is enacted to change the behavior beliefs and/or values an individual or group in each case, has some sort of power/authority dynamic exist between the agents and the target of the influence attempt.

CONCLUSION

 in conclusion power  influence and authority are common-place terminologies in social science analysis, state power is determined not only by the combination of all the above. i.e. the domestic elements of power, but also by the position of the state in the world. No state is fully self-supporting. States are independent. They defend on military allies, on friends in diplomacy, and on suppliers and markets of products. All the element of in the possession of a nation can be considerably augmented by outside support.

REFERENCE

1.      J. K. Galbrain (1983 p.93), The anatomy of power

2.      J. Pip (2008), Introducing Social Theory. Polity Press, Cambridge,

3.      R. Arrow (2011), ‘gene sharp: author of the nonviolent revolution rule book’

4.      Anifowose and Enemuo, Element Of Politics

5.      L. Haroll and K. Abraham (1950), Power and Society: A Framework For Political Inquiry, Yale University Press.

6.      V. D. Vermon (1960 pp.131-4), Political Science: Philosophical Analysis Stanford; Stanford University Press,.

7.      D. Robert (1957 pp.201-15) ‘The Concept Of Power’  In Behavioral Science Vol.2.