Obedience Essay - 1044 Words

English 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, â€Å"Disobedience as a Psychological and Moral Problem; â€Å"Human history began with an act of disobedience, and it is not unlikely that it will be terminated by an act of disobedience.† This statement suggests that everything which we perceived to be†¦show more content†¦Living technically refers to the advances in science that has propelled us to the atomic age. However living emotionally refers to the Old Stone Age view on ideas about politics, state, society. Fromm makes a very remarkable point when he states, â€Å"If a man can only obey and not disobey, he is a slave; if he can only disobey and not obey, he is a rebel(not a revolutionary); he acts out of anger, disappointment, resentment, yet not in the name of a conviction or a principle (Fromm 685)†. This statement leaves little doubt that we cannot come up with an accurate definition or reason behind obedience to authority. Essentially there is no gray area between obedience and disobedience. At this point in the essay, Fromm is very close to convincing the reader that obedience is a psychological and physical problem through the various examples in history he has cited. Fromm continues to make his case that disobedience is detrimental to society by explaining the two types of conscience that develop within the human psyche when confronted with a important decision. The first type of conscience is authoritarian conscience which deals with the internal voice that aims to please an authority figure out of fear. The second type, humanistic conscience, can be explained as the voice in the back of your head that allows you to tell what is human and inhuman. The complexity of defining which conscience ultimately decides your actions can be explained byShow MoreRelatedEssay on Obedience755 Words   |  4 PagesObedience is the process by which individuals comply with the instructions given by an authority figure not to be confused with conformity. There is one similarity between obedience and conformity which is that both involved a renunciation Of personal responsibility. There is three differences between Obedience and Conformity. The first one is that in Obedience an order or an instruction is given whereas no instructions or order is given in conformity. The second one is that in obedience thereRead More The Perils of Obedience by Stanley Milgram Essay812 Words   |  4 Pages â€Å"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.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  This essay even though it was written in 1974 is still used today because of its historicalRead MoreObedience Essay744 Words   |  3 PagesObedience In this essay I am going to write on how obedience can affect individuals on how they would normally behave and integrate in society. The meaning of Obedience is a form of social influence where an individual acts in response to a direct order from another individual, who is usually an authority figure. 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In nearly all societies, certain peopleRead MoreResearch Into Obedience Essay661 Words   |  3 PagesResearch Into Obedience There has been two main studies into obedience the first of these in 1963 by Milgram who advertised in the local paper for men of various ages and from all walks of life. He told the volunteers that they would take part in a test of memory and learning and would get paid $4.50 for the hour they were in the experiment. When they arrived at Yale University they were introduced to two people one of which was ‘Jack Williams’ who was wearing a greyRead MoreObedience to Authority Essays836 Words   |  4 Pageseven human being’s life; along with this, is the expectation of obedience to that authority. Through this obedience, many great things have been accomplished, as well as many instances of cruel and immoral acts. Defiance of the established authority, though, has also lead to great things, such as the creation and founding of the United States of America. In his writing, Obedience to Authority, Stanley Milgram examines the obedience to authority without questioning or taking responsibility and the