Obedience to Authority Essay - 1816 Words

Authority 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 possible manner. To best understand how much pressure and stress can be caused by someone with authority, allow me to recount a personal experience. Sweating, I stood at attention in front of the flight Captain and my training instructor Staff Sergeant Garr. I†¦show more content†¦I said I would gladly take the test to get an accurate reading, but his response was that I was not being truthful about my experience. I assured him I was not fabricating the story. He decided to investigate further, so he took me into the flight Captains office, the place where I would feel the extensive and powerful force of obedience. I was made to stand at attention, a brand new Airman Basic, the lowest possible rank in the Air Force, in front of my Captain. The Captain asked if I had done the X-Factor, I replied I had not. To my surprise, the Captain picked up the phone and called the MEP station in Minneapolis and got my doctor on the line. The doctor quickly assured the Captain that he had been thorough in administering the test in question. The Captain said to me â€Å"Trainee Neubauer, the paperwork and the doctor both agree that you took this test. You can admit you were lying about not taking it, or you can continue denying it and I will place a letter in your personnel file stating your refusal and deception, which will follow you throughout your career. I highly recommend you admit to taking the test.† This is the moment I found myself under extreme stress and pressured by obedience to authority to acquiesce. In my mind, I could not understand how this had become such a large issue. All I knew was I had never taken the test, but I also knew I was in the military now and in no position to question or deny a superiorShow 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 Authority1260 Words   |  6 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 properRead 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. 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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