![](https://www.achieveriasclasses.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/P-768x500.png)
UPSC SOCIOLOGY Syllabus :
Paper 1 – Chapter 6 – Politics and Society:
(a) Sociological theories of power
(b) Power elite, bureaucracy, pressure groups, and political parties.
(c) Nation, state, citizenship, democracy, civil society, ideology.
(d) Protest, agitation, social movements, collective action, revolution.
Introduction to the Chapter ‘Politics and Society’.
POWER
- Power is the ability of individuals or groups to carry out their will even when opposed by others.
- The most common definition comes from Max Weber, who defined it as the ability to control others, events, or resources; to make happen what one wants to happen in spite of obstacles, resistance, or opposition.
- In contrast, Karl Marx used the concept of power in relation to social classes and social systems rather than individuals. He argued that power rests in a social class’s position in the relations of production.
- A third definition comes from Talcott Parsons who argued that power is not a matter of social coercion and domination. Instead, he said, power flows from a social system’s potential to coordinate human activity and resources to accomplish goals.
AUTHORITY
- Authority is that form of power, which is accepted as legitimate, that is, as right and just. It means that the master has the right to command and can expect to be obeyed.
- Authority is a concept whose development is most often associated with the German sociologist Max Weber who saw it as a particular form of power.
- Authority is defined and supported by the norms of a social system and generally accepted as legitimate by those who participate in it.
- We tend to obey the orders of police officers, for example, not because of who they are as individuals, but because we accept their right to have power over us in certain situations and we assume others will support that right should we choose to challenge it.
RELATION BETWEEN POWER AND AUTHORITY
- Power is an entity’s or individual’s ability to control or direct others, while authority is influence that is predicated on perceived legitimacy.
- Consequently, power is necessary for authority, but it is possible to have power without authority.
- In other words, power is necessary but not sufficient for authority.