Obedience Essay

Obedience to people in authority is a deep-rooted trait that we all possess by virtue of our upbringing, and as Milgram put it, “it is only the person dwelling in isolation who is not forced to respond, with defiance or submission, to the commands of others” (Milgram 1974). This trait is exhibited every day in family circles, workplace and school. People are most likely to obey instructions from people they perceive their authority to be legal or moral. We see people obeying their pastors, leaders in various societies and other people they see as higher to them; and they obey anything they are being told even if it involves killing another human being. They justify their actions, however wrong, on obedience to authority.

“The Perils of Obedience” was written by Stanley Milgram in 1974. In the essay he describes his experiments on obedience to authority. I feel as though this is a great psychology essay and will be used in psychology 101 classes for generations to come. The essay describes how people are willing to do almost anything that they are told no matter how immoral the action is or how much pain it may cause.

Individuals often yield to conformity when they are forced to discard their individual freedom in order to benefit the larger group. Despite the fact that it is important to obey the authority, obeying the authority can sometimes be hazardous especially when morals and autonomous thought are suppressed to an extent that the other person is harmed. Obedience usually involves doing what a rule or a person tells you to but negative consequences can result from displaying obedience to authority for example; the people who obeyed the orders of Adolph Hitler ended up killing innocent people during the Holocaust. In the same way, Stanley Milgram noted in his article ‘Perils of Obedience’ of how individuals obeyed authority and

In "Disobedience as a Psychological and Moral Problem," Erich Fromm (1963) argues that society will self-destruct without achieving freedom through disobedience. Fromm begins with analogies of Hebrew and Greek mythology showing how disobedience to a god freed humans. Using this correlation, Fromm shows freedom as a condition for disobedience, and vice- versa. Therefore, Fromm proclaims that without disobedience the human race could destroy itself within a generation.

Obedience and Conformity Both obedience and conformity involve social pressure in obedience the pressure comes from behaving as you are instructed to do; whereas in conformity the pressure comes from group norms Behaviour in obedience is determined by social power, whereas in conformity it is influenced mostly by the need for acceptance. In nearly all societies, certain people are given power and authority over others. Our society, for example, parents, teachers, and managers are invested with various degrees of authority. Most of the time, this does not cause any problems.

Erich Fromm’s essay “Disobedience as a Psychological and Moral Problem” suggests that humankind’s evolution has, and continues to rely on man’s capability to exercise disobedience. While discussing the positions of disobedience being considered a vice, and obedience being a virtue, Fromm reflects upon the history of Adam and Eve believing that “eating the forbidden fruit” was man’s first act of disobedience. This is the point that broke the bond between man and nature requiring man to be dependant upon his own powers, while rewarding him with his “complete” humanity, freedom,

The author exemplifies the ways that disobedience helps the society and its contribution to furthering the human race but notes on the fact that blind obedience may eventually account for the end of civilization.

In society, obedience to authority is ingrained in humanity from an early age, causing some individuals to blindly obey orders without contemplating the credibility of the source. In psychoanalyst Erich Fromm’s article “Disobedience as a Psychological and Moral Problem,” he explains that throughout human history obedience has been associated with virtue and disobedience with sin (Fromm 127). Fromm suggests that our conscience is an internalized voice of authority (126). Fromm claims individuals need to distinguish the difference between rational and irrational authority because obedience is effective when individuals want to obey, instead of fearing to disobey (127). Two other authors who examine obedience are Herbert C. Kelman and V. Lee

Should I conform? Should I rebel? This has and always will be, a constant battle struggled individually, or as a society. A certain amount of conformity needs to exist in life in order to avoid disorder. This is the reason we have laws. Take those laws, rules, control, or even expectations, to an extreme, and some form of rebellion is probable. Struggle with these opposites, and you have a catalyst for war, or perhaps, being fired from a job. Literature represents life, and this theme can be found at the root of many literary works.

First of all, an idea of obedience was described in two texts. According to Tao Te Ching 49, Laozi said Master have to accept all the complaints that people had and treat them

I have been told that I need to write a 1000 word essay on disrespecting a Non Commissioned Officer. But it is really hard to write about this because I am having a hard time wondering how I disrespected them. So, where do I start on this and what do I say about it. As far as this essay goes I am just going to write how I feel about respect and how respect works both ways. It is wrong to disrespect a Non Commissioned Officer because they are appointed above me to guide me to the right place and things to do. But it is really hard to respect someone when they do not respect you. Respect works both ways and if that person or leadership does not respect you trying to respect them is difficult. No matter what is said it is disrespect.

Typically, multidrug regimens are necessary among patients with T2DM to manage hyperglycaemia and the associated risk factors of hypertension and dyslipidemia. In these patients, non-adherence is a major concern. It has been demonstrated that non-adherence is higher among patients with diabetes than those with other common conditions. Prospective studies show that 15–39% of patients are non-adherent to oral anti diabetic drugs. Although patients self-report a 94% adherence rate to sulphonylureas, the actual adherence rate found when electronic monitoring is used is around 75%. Another factor that may influence adherence is the complexity of the dosing regimen. A prospective assessment of self-reported medication adherence conducted in 11,896 individuals with T2DM revealed reduced compliance with twice daily and three times daily dosing compared with once daily dosing. Socioeconomic issues, ethnicity, patient education and beliefs, and poor social support are also predictors of non-adherence. Declining cognitive function, polypharmacy, and poor vision among elderly patients increase the risk

Fromm believes that there are various types of obedience, one of them applying to authority and power. Fromm defines these types of obedience, stating “Obedience to a person, institution or power (heteronomous obedience) is submission; it implies the abdication of my autonomy and the acceptance of a foreign will or judgement in place of my own” (Fromm 228). Fromm claims that obedience to any authority, whether it is a person or institution, is called heteronomous obedience. He claims that heteronomous obedience is submission because a person follows orders and accepts the authority’s judgement in place of their own. The obedience is considered submission and not free will because the obedience suppresses one’s self for a higher power. Dalrymple also agrees with Fromm’s definition of heteronomous obedience and

The following essay will be about understanding what is meant by and distinguishing the differences between the terms conformity and obedience. It will show the evaluation of two key psychological studies which seek to explain why people do and do not conform, also with explanations of minority influence. Whilst seeking to understand the reasons why people obey authority, it will show an evaluation of Milgram’s study of obedience, discussing the ethical issues raised from the research and

A Japanese proverb says, "The nail that sticks out will be hammered down." Society tries to place many rules on us as individuals as to what is acceptable and what is not. We must decide for ourselves whether to conform to such a social decorum. We are taught as soon as we are old enough to grasp the idea that it is bad to be unique and to avoid being different. At some point, however, we must decide within ourselves whether to spend every day trying to be like everyone else because society says we should or living each day true to ourselves. Our strength as a person is proven through what we decide. E. E. Cummings once said, "To be nobody but yourself-in a world which is doing it's best night and day to make you like