Classification of Authority

A French philosopher by the name of Bertrand de Jouvenel once said “The phenomenon called authority is at once more ancient and more fundamental than the phenomenon called state; the natural ascendancy of some men over others is the principle of all human organizations and all human advances”. Authority is and always has been present in human civilization in all aspects of life and in different forms. Authority can be classified into three categories: family or parental authority, organizational and bureaucratic authorities, and political authority.

Parental and family authority is the most basic of the three categories. The parents give life therefore should have at least some authority over it. In most cultures this is true and usually the senior family members have authority over the younger members. The family can impose several punishments on members who break the rules ranging from a simple lecture or loss of privileges to full out disownment in some cultures. Parental authority encourages respect, morals and discipline, necessities for productive members of society. Younger...