I propose the following 3 categories of manifestations of the social contract:

1. Absolute Paternalism

The mandate to rule is preordained or presupposed to be designated to a culturally favoured characteristic possessed by the ruling class. Monarchies and all autocracies are examples.

Since such a hierarchical worldview is accepted, the leader is also expected to work towards maintaining and solidifying their leadership powers. Political decisions should primarily benefit those in authority or to work to maintain the hierarchy in place. Otherwise, the leader fails to present the image of supremacy that has granted them their privileges in the first place.

The ruler is perceived legitimate via a culturally recognised ethos. This can come in many forms, but all of them innately level a hierarchical world view that has it justify the social contract. The leader, as a paternal ruler, is necessary to have in some form inherited the mandate.

Characteristics

Without a common religion to foment a spiritual acceptance of a leader, a leader often relies on embracing various characteristics that express a justification to rule. They "inherit" the right to rule through unique attributes of their person.

Simply comporting with the culture and values of the populus is a necessary but not a sufficient condition for the mandate. Leaders that conform to a culture are simply seen as ordinary. Those that appease the culture and the populus may be deemed compassionate, but not to possess the fibre of a leader. A leader mustn't embody a static vision of the culture, but instead command a direction for it. They must proffer a sense of forwardness that contends with the culture, but aesthetically emboldens it.

The leader's capacity to display strength is the fulcrum of any social contract. Trivially, it radiates a sense of stability both internally and externally to the leadership structure. A populus may feel at ease at the thought of war. However, in an absolute paternalistic mandate, strength is more than a mere desired attribute; one that may even be regarded as a "necessary evil". Instead, in an absolute paternalistic social contract, strength becomes a core component of the aesthetic itself. This produces a feedback loop in that the leader's displays of strength grant them more power and submission, further enabling them even more.

Inheritance

Religion

In hereditary monarchies, rulers trivially "inherit" the mandate, as seen in primogeniture.

When a society shares a common religion, the religion may form the foundation for this social contract. In the case of monarchies, a "sovereign" is granted legitimacy as seen through will of their common god.

Founders

However, the inheritance need not be through blood. Many leaders garner their mandate by being considered to have earnt the land itself. This can be seen in coup d'états or military juntas where might brings legitimacy directly. The ruler may quite literally be the "father" of the polity, or partook in its formation e.g. Mussolini.

The Paternal Leader

It should be obvious why these leaders consistently portray a paternal or fatherly image. Since the leader is granted authority as one would to a father, they are often seen justified in expressing a certain degree of cruelty. This can be rationalised as mere "tough love". Additionally, it may be the case that the life and times promote an urgency making such acts deemed necessary. Or simply, submission is considered a worthwhile price to pay in exchange for this safety brought about by its toughness.

This also goes to show why so often in history, women monarchs have struggled to reap the same level of respect as their male counterparts. Women are too often deemed to be, at best, a "maternal" leader. Female rulers may seem to potray "compassion" but not "leadership". But the role of a leader in a society of absolute paternalism yearn for a fatherly ruler, who may contribute to a feeling of safety.

individualism (liberalism)

The political authority is expected to chiefly advance the interests of the individual. Political structure ought to maximise political power from individuals' participation since said individuals, each, are the only legitimate authority deserving of political power. Political power should be limited to only those powers necessary in coordinating administrative and executive functions, not those in delegating entitlements amongst the populace, unto whom, all freedoms have been preordained.

• no power over the individual exists, except that consented to, and granted by, the individual themselves
• the maintenance of liberalism requires that governments may need undoing insofar as they impinge on ones individualism. although, government that does not exceed the individual wishes may be justified to very varied extends and finds many compatibilities with liberalism. i.e. the notion of government is not necessarily disallowed, but is always relegated to the serving the administrative function, subservient to and accountable to, the individual.
• since they take on a greater conception of authority, the individual is thus personally responsible to a greater extent over their own lives, and the consequences of their actions
• i consider anarchism to be an extreme form of individualism. however, it is the specific case wherein no government is deemed justified. however, i also do see the possible error in that anarchism may not always be based in, or justified from an individualistic origin, it may, for other reasons believe authority to be innately unjustified, and not merely a favoritism of individual authority itself.

Civic Communitarianism

Political power should be employed for the advancement of the interests of the populace, specifically, a populace of members of some uniting group identity. Political power is wholly associated with the populace and its uniting body, that being a nation, ethnic group, race, theological group or any other symbolic group identity. The political authority are preordained a higher social objective describing wholly the interests of said symbolic group, and its constituent peoples.