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Cited by 2,381Social and Intergroup PsychologySocial Power and Status DynamicsPsychology of Social Influence

Psychological Perspectives on Legitimacy and Legitimation

Tyler, Tom R.·2006·Annual Review of Psychology
DOI 10.1146/annurev.psych.57.102904.190038
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Abstract

Legitimacy is a psychological property of an authority, institution, or social arrangement that leads those connected to it to believe that it is appropriate, proper, and just. Because of legitimacy, people feel that they ought to defer to decisions and rules, following them voluntarily out of obligation rather than out of fear of punishment or anticipation of reward. Being legitimate is important to the success of authorities, institutions, and institutional arrangements since it is difficult to exert influence over others based solely upon the possession and use of power. Being able to gain voluntary acquiescence from most people, most of the time, due to their sense of obligation increases effectiveness during periods of scarcity, crisis, and conflict. The concept of legitimacy has a long history within social thought and social psychology, and it has emerged as increasingly important within recent research on the dynamics of political, legal, and social systems.

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  • Legitimacy is vital to the effective function of police as a social institution.

    “Legitimacy—the belief that an individual, group, or institution has the authority to dictate an individual’s behavior and demand their cooperation—is vital to the effective function of police as a social institution (2, 3).”

    From A field experiment on community policing and police legitimacy (2019) · cites this paper as [2]

Cites

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Research works printed but not linked: 24

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Authors
Tyler, T. R.
Affiliations
New York University (US)
Corresponding author
Tyler, Tom R.
ORCID
Tyler, Tom R.
Venue
Annual Review of Psychology
Publisher
Annual Reviews
Published
2006-01-01
Volume
57
Issue
1
Pages
375-400
ISSN
  • 0066-4308 (ISSN-L)
  • 1545-2085
DOI
10.1146/annurev.psych.57.102904.190038
OpenAlex
W2170413988
Semantic Scholar
9fef5ae450aa57d1cf12072437c9a6ac0986eef4
Cited by
2,381
References
151
Citations by year
2026: 170 · 2025: 163 · 2024: 171 · 2023: 180 · 2022: 212 · 2021: 152 · 2020: 175 · 2019: 159 · 2018: 137 · 2017: 100 · 2016: 123 · 2015: 107 · 2014: 108 · 2013: 105 · 2012: 66
FWCI
19.39
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
closed
Locations
  • Annual Review of Psychology (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
Topics
  • Social Sciences › Sociology and Political Science › Social and Intergroup Psychology
  • Social Sciences › Sociology and Political Science › Social Power and Status Dynamics
  • Social Sciences › Sociology and Political Science › Psychology of Social Influence
Keywords
legitimacy, legitimation, authority, institutional legitimacy, voluntary compliance, obligation, political legitimacy, legal legitimacy, social legitimacy
MeSH terms
Humans, Interpersonal Relations, Leadership, Social Justice, Social Responsibility, Stereotyping

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