Obedience And Its Effect On Society - 2278 Words

Growing up as the youngest child of three, my parents always gave me much leeway. They never really disciplined me in ways my friend’s parents have disciplined my friend. They taught me right from wrong through a reward system. If I obeyed, they rewarded me in the form of toys. If I disobeyed, they scolded me. After many cycles of repetition, many children, including myself, realize that we are expected to be obedient in society. Not only is it a learned trait, but it also an inherent trait in certain circumstances. As I grew up, I learned that obedience helps us fit into society. Obedience convinces people to feel as if they are a part of an institution larger than themselves. This larger institution protects them from harm. Even though obedience has been helpful in numerous situations for many people, too much obedience has more drawbacks than benefits. An abundance of obedience can lend itself to becoming blind obedience, thus, stopping humans from thinking for themselves a nd just blindly obeying any order. Historically, blind obedience has been the root of numerous atrocities and serves as a reminder that obedience can lead to humanity’s downfall. Themes of obedience are studied in many articles and experiments. Two prominent examples, Stanley Milgram, a social psychologist, and Erich Fromm, a psychoanalyst, both wrote about their beliefs as to why humans are so prone to obey. The nature of human obedience derives its potency from consistent habituating, protection, andShow MoreRelatedObedience, By Stanley Milgram Tore1653 Words   |  7 Pages I. Overview Out of all the topics we have gone over the course of this class, obedience fascinates me the most. It is perplexing, thought provoking, and morally confusing. Obedience is paramount to the structure of our society yet stories of destructive obedience haunt us. From the atrocities of the Holocaust to the massacres in Vietnam we glimpse at the horrors humans are capable of. All the while, perpetrators vindicate their actions with relative ease. The justification for every genocideRead MoreAnalysis Of The Book A Few Good Men By Solomon E. Asch1540 Words   |  7 PagesComparative Analysis The foundation of today’s society is not in immense chaos or destruction, but rather in an organizational order because of the choice in obedience. As depicted in the movie, â€Å"A Few Good Men†, obedience is questioned due to soldiers choosing to obey or not when it presents the case of Lance Cpl. Harold Dawson and Pfc. Louden Downey being disciplined for committing a crime, even if they were only following orders. Eric Fromm, a social psychologist and psychoanalyst, furthers pointsRead MoreHistory Of Obedience And Conformity1729 Words   |  7 PagesHistory of Obedience and Conformity With the utterance of â€Å"research in obedience,† Stanley Milgram is the epithet in social psychology. 56 years ago, Milgram tested the limits of a person s ability to commit deeds that would normally be directionally challenging to their moral compass when commanded to act by an authority figure. Just 15 years after the World War II Holocaust, the Milgram experiments was a social psychology response to a topic of â€Å"particular relevance† during that time (MilgramRead MoreThe Authority Of Culture : Milgram s Obedience Experiment1462 Words   |  6 Pages Authority of Culture Cana Rainwater Charleston Southern University Authority of Culture Milgram’s Obedience Experiment has influenced and inspired many experiments in the decades following the original study done in 1962. Moral psychologists, social psychologists, and sociologists have considered how different characteristics affect how the individual responds to authority: Does a group setting make a difference? Are certain personality traits an indicator of rebellion? Will theRead MoreSummary of the Dilemma of Obedience Essay509 Words   |  3 Pagesof The Dilemma of Obedience In the chapter The Dilemma of Obedience of the book Obedience to Authority : An Experimental View, Stanley Milgram explores the concept of obedience to authority, and why people cannot defy authority even the situation is totally conflicting with morality. He introduces his ideas by giving the definition of obedience, and mentions Nazi extermination as an instance of obedience, which contradicts with moral values. According to Milgram, obedience idiosyncraticallyRead MoreObedience Essay1044 Words   |  5 PagesEnglish 1310-04 28 October 2011 Obedience as an act can be traced back to the very beginnings of human history. The common belief has always been to obey authority at all cost. This act has never been questioned because authority corresponds to the common belief that respecting authority and obeying them will lead you to success in all aspects of life. Obedience is not defined to specific situations and its context can be portrayed in various ways. For example, Erich Fromm writes in his essay,Read MoreAnalysis Of Stanley Milgram s Perils Of Obedience Essay1709 Words   |  7 PagesFrom the beginning, society teaches us to respect and obey all rules given to us by authoritative figures. Through the schooling process, teachers reinforce this idea by giving students orders and expecting them to listen without question. We ve learned that disobedience connotes with â€Å"being bad† when this is not necessarily the case. Many adults today still carry these teaching into their adulthood. It is no wonder why lea ders such as Adolf Hitler and Joseph Stalin easily manipulated the mindsRead MoreObedience Is Not A Bad Thing Essay1420 Words   |  6 Pagesauthority is obedience. Just about everyone obeys someone or something on a daily basis without even thinking about it. It is normal and useful for keeping law and order in a common civilized society. Obedience is not a bad thing, it is just a way of controlling people. However, the opposite end of obedience is disobedience which is usually viewed as bad, especially in the context of a societal view. Both obedience and disobedience serve a purpose, from positive control through obedience, to denyingRead MoreObedience Is Not A Bad Thing Essay1465 Words   |  6 PagesObedience is defined as compliance with an order, request, or submission to another’s authority. Just about everyone obeys someone or something on a daily basis without even thinking about it. It is normal and useful for keeping law and order in a common civilized society. Obedience is not a bad thing, it is just a way of controlling people. However, the opposite end of obedience is disobedience which is usually viewed as bad, especially in the context of a societal view. Both obedience and disobedienceRead MoreObedience to Authority1250 Words   |  5 PagesObedience to Authority No human social organization can function without some degree of obedience to authority, as the alternative would be anarchy leading to total chaos. Hence we find some sort of a hierarchy in both the most underdeveloped and the most civilized societies where certain individuals exercise authority over others. Almost everyone will agree that some degree of authority in certain individuals or groups (and their obedience by other groups) is desirable for the proper functioning