The question pertains to the authority that comes with holding a higher position in a hierarchy. In the medical field, consultants have legitimate power over core trainees. However, a trainee may have more referent power due to their popularity, which can shift the balance of power in their favor. It is commonly assumed that consultants hold expert power over trainees, but this is not always the case. As one progresses to become a senior trainee, they may develop a condition known as consultantitis, which can challenge the notion of expert power.

Power Theory

French and Raven (1959) developed the 5 base theory of power, which identifies five types of power. These include legitimate power, which is held by an individual in an organization, referent power, which is held by a person with charisma who people gravitate towards, expert power, which is held by a person with specialist skills of knowledge, reward power, which is held by a person in a position to provide rewards, and coercive power, which is held by a person who has the ability to apply negative influences such as demotion. Other terms to be aware of include outcome power, which is the power of a person to bring about outcomes, social power, which is the power of a person to influence others so that they will bring about outcomes, and counterpower, which is the power of the oppressed to counterbalance the elite.