11.1.2: Traditional Authority

 11.1.2: Traditional Authority 

Throughout history, the most common basis for authority has been tradition. Traditional authority, which is based on custom, is the hallmark of preindustrial societies. In these societies, custom dictates basic relationships. For example, birth into a particular family makes an individual the chief, king, or queen. As far as members of that society are concerned, this is the right way to determine who rules because “We’ve always done it this way.”

For centuries, widows in the Mediterranean countries, such as this widow in Italy, were expected to dress in black and to mourn for their husbands the rest of their lives. Widows conformed to this expression of lifetime sorrow not because of law, but because of custom. As industrialization erodes(gradually destroyed) traditional authority, fewer widows follow this practice. Credit: Terry Harris/Alamy Stock Photo

Although traditional authority declines with industrialization, it never dies out. Even though we live in a postindustrial society, parents continue to exercise authority over their children because parents always have had such authority. From generations past, we inherit the idea that parents should discipline their children, choose their doctors and schools, and teach them religion and morality.