Much of it occurs behind the scenes, and scholars continue to debate who is wielding it and for whose benefit they wield it. These are all vivid examples of power, but the power that social scientists study is both grander and, often, more invisible (Wrong, 1996). If a child in middle school gives her lunch to a bully who threatens her, that again is an example of the use of power, or, in this case, the misuse of power. When you were 16 and your parents told you to be home by midnight or else, your arrival home by this curfew again illustrated the use of power, in this case parental power. When the officer approaches our car, we ordinarily try to be as polite as possible and pray we do not get a ticket. If, alas, the police car’s lights are flashing, we stop the car, as otherwise we may be in for even bigger trouble. We make sure we strictly obey the speed limit and all other driving rules. At that particular moment, the driver of that car has enormous power over us. Most of us have seen a striking example of raw power when we are driving a car and see a police car in our rearview mirror. Power refers to the ability to have one’s will carried out despite the resistance of others. Because power is so essential to an understanding of politics, we begin our discussion of politics with a discussion of power. Regardless of who benefits, a central point is this: some individuals and groups have more power than others. Depending on the society, they sometimes make these decisions solely to benefit themselves and other times make these decisions to benefit the society as a whole. Except perhaps in the simplest societies, specific people and often specific organizations make these decisions. In any society, decisions must be made regarding the allocation of resources and other matters. Politics refers to the distribution and exercise of power within a society, and polity refers to the political institution through which power is distributed and exercised. Explain why charismatic authority may be unstable in the long run.Define power and the three types of authority.
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