Obedience to Authority - 1260 Words

Obedience 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 of a society. The problem arises when the obedience to authority is taken to extremes. Unfortunately, history has shown that this happens time and again, usually with undesirable results. It is this blind obedience to authority that†¦show more content†¦These shocks were to start at a mild 15 volts and gradually increased to an extremely painful (and lethal) level of 450 volts. During the experiment the teacher was coaxed to continue giving the shocks to the learner. The results of the experiment were mos t disturbing: most (60%) of the â€Å"teachers† (who were ordinary people) continued to give the electric shocks right up to the maximum (lethal) level of 450 volts, just with a little bit of coaxing from the psychologist. Milgram repeated his experiments in several other countries apart from the USA, like Australia, South Africa and several European countries. The response of the â€Å"teachers† in most of these countries was similar. In one of these studies, 85% of the teachers readily â€Å"obeyed† to give the maximum (lethal) punishment to the â€Å"erring† learner. (â€Å"Baxter†). Although no such experiment can be 100% conclusive, the Milgram experiments do shed considerable (and disturbing) light on the behavior of ordinary people in obedience of authority. They also explain, to a large extent, the seemingly perplexing behavior of many ordinary Germans during World War II and some American soldiers in Vietnam. (â€Å"Milgram,† Obedience to Authority..). Another writer who has carried out work of significance on the subject of obedience to authority is Doris Lessing. Although, not a professional sociologist or historian,Show MoreRelatedObedience 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 functioningRead MoreObedience to Authority Essays836 Words   |  4 Pageshuman 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 with out questioning or taking responsibility and the problemsRead MoreEssay on Authority and Obedience2310 Words   |  10 PagesAuthority and Obedience Thesis: We consciously or unconsciously obey authority in all walks of life on a daily basis. Obedience is when there is legitimate power, there is pressure to comply. Compliance with that which is required by authority; subjection to rightful restraint or control. Authority being the legal or rightful power; a right to command or enforce obedience on another. This essay shall discuss, explore and evaluate the explanations as to why peopleRead MoreThe Problems Of Obedience And Authority1849 Words   |  8 PagesOctober 15, 2014 The Problems of Obedience to Authority People will do about anything to stay out of trouble when it comes to someone with authority that cannot be argued with. Stanley Milgram did an experiment on the topic of obedience to authority; he wanted to know how ordinary people could do horrible things if forced to by someone of authority. Obedience to authority is instinctual for human beings, there has and will always be someone with a higher authority than ourselves. How can normal,Read MoreObedience to Authority Essay1816 Words   |  8 PagesAuthority cannot exist without obedience. Society is built on this small, but important concept. Without authority and its required obedience, there would only be anarchy and chaos. But how much is too much, or too little? There is a fine line between following blindly and irrational refusal to obey those in a meaningful position of authority. Obedience to authority is a real and powerful force that should be understood and respected in order to handle each situation in the best possi ble manner.Read MoreEssay on Obedience to Authority574 Words   |  3 PagesObedience to Authority Today our society raises us to believe that obedience is good and disobedience is bad. We are taught that we should all do what we’re told and that the people that are disobedient are almost always bad people. Society tells us this, but it is not true. Most people will even be obedient to the point of causing harm to others, because to be disobedient requires the courage to be alone against authority. In Stanley Milgram’s Perils of Obedience experiment, his studiesRead MoreThe Blind Obedience And Authority1237 Words   |  5 PagesBlind Obedience to Authority Millions of people were killed in Nazi Germany in concentration camps however, Hitler wouldn’t have been able to kill them all, nor could just a handful of people. Obedience is when society influences where/ when an individual acts in response to a direct order from another individual, who is usually the authority figure. It is assumed that without such an order the person would not have acted in this way. In order to obey authority, the obeying person has to acceptRead MoreAnnotated Bibliography On Obedience And Authority Essay1358 Words   |  6 Pagesof â€Å"Obedience to Authority,† Milgram aptly points out that â€Å"some system of authority is a requirement of all communal living†(Milgram 1). This is a universal human truth. Authority is something that humanity, from the beginning of time, has consistently relied upon. Milgram argues that â€Å"obedience is the psychological mechanism that links individual action to political purpose† and that it is the â€Å"dispositional cement that binds men to systems of authority† (Milgram 1). I argue that obedience is asRead MoreAnnotated Bibliography On Obedience And Authority Essay1149 Words   |  5 Pages Part I: Research paper topic and outline Obedience to Authority Abbygale Javier [IT 150G, 14111; On-line; Elizabeth Rasnick; September 29, 2016] I. Introduction A. Motivation of this research There are little facts about the role of obedience up until now. Psychologists have been debating on factors that constitute obedience within an individual. For example, certain theories suggest that people do horrible actions only if they are ordered to do so. Research has shown that most people obey allRead MorePhysiological Evaluation : Obedience And Authority Essay1055 Words   |  5 PagesPhysiological Evaluation: Obedience to Authority In 1963, physiologist Stanley Milgram brought to light the idea of Obedience to Authority. He was stimulated by the trial and execution of Adolf Eichmann, a Nazi war criminal who was put to death for the crimes he committed under Hitler’s authority (McLeod , Obedience to Authority, 2007). The objective of his research was centered on the question: â€Å"Could it be that Eichmann and his million accomplices in the Holocaust were just following orders? Could