Max Weber divided authority or "legitimate domination" into three pure types: rational/legal authority, traditional authority, and charismatic authority.  He defined rational/legal authority as the understanding and belief in legal rules (laws) and the right of certain individuals to enforce these rules.  Traditional authority is described as the belief in the importance and validity of traditions and those who enforce them.  Finally Weber discusses charismatic authority as the devotion to a particularly exceptional individual and the rules that he/she supports.  For modern examples of these various forms of authority one might look to the police and judicial system as rational/legal authority while traditional authority might be seen in parents or in a community leader that has served for many years.  Charismatic authority is seen within certain individuals that draw others to themselves such as Jesus Christ or the Beatles.