10-25-2012, 12:44 AM
The authority could originate from a group a people who set up a structure and rules, and legitimize themselves by gaining consensus among the people in the field. They gain legitimacy from other societal groups/organizations/entity. There's nothing wrong with authority. It's the difference between authoritarian and authoritative authority. Where authoritarian authority exerts its power to diagnose people without having a wholistic understanding the context of the problem, then it creates more negative consequence than working towards resolution.