Final answer:
Power arises from the legitimacy of ideas and the identity of leaders, which can be sourced from popular sovereignty, rational-legal arrangements, charismatic appeal, or traditional practice, with rational-legal legitimacy being most prevalent in modern democracies.
Step-by-step explanation:
Power can stem from the influence of the legitimacy of ideas and identities through several avenues. In democratic societies, legitimacy often arises from the concept of popular sovereignty, where power is derived from the consent of the people, as illustrated by the United States Constitution. This approach implies that governmental authority is granted by citizens who choose leaders based on trust and the leaders' ability to fulfill the social contract.
Rational-legal legitimacy is another source where belief in the legal framework of a government lends authority to those elected to serve within its structure. Complementary to this, charismatic legitimacy is based on an individual's exceptional personal appeal, empowering them to lead based on social influence. Lastly, traditional legitimacy is grounded in long-standing practices or divine right, such as in a monarchy. The stable foundation for modern governance is most often found in rational-legal legitimacy, with roles of authority being filled through democratic elections and the governed maintaining faith in the structure rather than in the individual officeholders themselves.