Weber described these three three ideal types of authority as being generally regarded as legitimate — that is to say, they are accepted as creating binding obligations on the part of others. After all, unless a person is obligated to obey certain commands in a manner which goes beyond mere external submission, the very concept of authority is nullified.
It is important to understand that these are ideal types of authority and it would be very unusual to find any of them existing in a “pure” form in human society. At most one might find a type of authority which is predominantly one type or another but with at least one of the others mixed in. The complexities of human social relationships guarantee that authority systems will be complex as well, and that is certainly true of religious authorities.
When examining the actions of a religious institution, it is important to also examine the structure of authority which the members of the religious community believe legitimate those actions. Upon what authoritative basis do people believe that men may be priests but not women? Upon what basis may a religious group expel one of its members? And, finally, on what basis may a religious leader legitimately ask the members of a community to kill themselves? Unless we understand the nature of these structures of authority, the behavior of the community will be incomprehensible.
Charismatic Authority
Charismatic authority is perhaps the most unusual of the bunch - it is relatively rare compared to the others, but it is especially common to religious groups. Indeed, many if not most religions have been founded on the basis of charismatic authority. This sort of authority derives from the possession of 'charisma,' a characteristic which sets a person apart from others.
Traditional Authority
A social group that is organized along the lines of traditional authority is one which relies heavily upon traditions, customs, habits, and routines in order regulate human behavior, to distinguish right from wrong, and to assure sufficient stability to allow the group to survive. Whatever has come before is assumed to be the way things should be, either because they have always worked or because they were sanctified by higher powers in the past.
Rational, Legal, and Professional Authority
Aspects of rationalized or legal authority can be found throughout human history, but it has achieved the most widespread acceptance in the modern industrialized era. Probably the most pure form of rationalized authority is the bureaucracy, one which Max Weber discussed at some length in his writings. It would be fair to say, in fact, that Weber considered the bureaucratic form of administration to be very much a symbol of the modern world.
