Obedience is a behavior especially in human beings that can be termed as a form of social persuasion and control that causes an individual to acquiesce and capitulate to unequivocal instructions or commands from one in authority (Milgram, 2009). The term obedience causes a high level of discrepancy with other terms such as conformity and compliance (Milgram, 2009). However, they are different in the fact that compliance is a character that is in most cases influenced by peers while conformity is a character that is anticipated to be similar to that of majority (Milgram, 2009). It is important to note that obedience can be categorized into three; that is amoral, moral and immoral (Milgram, 2009). For instance an individual that is ordered to murder or do evil to another can be termed as immoral obedience whereas when a policeman is asked to kil
...l a person that is a threat to the society is moral obedience (Milgram, 2009).
As according to an experiment carried out by Milgram in the 1960s, individuals have been seen to be very obedient especially in the presence of their authorities (Perry, 2015). In the experiment, it is evident that obedience was a type of custom among the people present and not an exception (Perry, 2015). According to Milgram, obedience is a building block in the construction and constitution of communal life (Perry, 2015). However, it is evident that social psychology is majorly responsible for the enhancement of the concept of obedience (Perry, 2015).
This concept of obedience has called for various experiments and researches by various psychologists. Some of these experiments are the Milgram experiment and the Zimbardo experiment (Haslam & Reicher, 2012).
The Milgram experiment has caused a lot of controversial responses because it implicated trickery and cheating the participants (Perry, 2015). In this case, the people involved were told that they were required to be part of a study that involved punishment while the real thing was to determine the time in which the participants would obey instructions and orders (Haslam & Reicher, 2012). The Zimbardo experiment was aimed at determining the social impacts on human behavior (Haslam & Reicher, 2012). It is vital to note that this experiment was intended to affect the psychological state of the participants (Haslam & Reicher, 2012).
In the Milgram experiment, it is evident that the people involved would obey the instructions given even when they posed harm and danger to others whereas in the Zimbardo experiment showed that as much as the participants obeyed; the more aggressive they became (Haslam & Reicher, 2012). In both experiments, it is evident that psychological duress inflicted on an individual can cause one to become obedient and aggressive at the same time (Haslam & Reicher, 2012).
Laws and regulations that are made in the different nations around the world need to be obeyed and failure of compliance leads to punishment (Edmundson, 2010). This therefore means that all countries in the contemporary world including super powers are obligated and bound to carrying out all their activities in accordance to he laid down rules and legal norms (Edmundson, 2010). It is vital to note that even in the United States, all countries adhere and comply with the international requirements and this has advanced over the last 400 years (Edmundson, 2010). It is important to note that the
development of this international law has caused nations to formulate activities that comply with the law through the enactment of charters (Patrick, 2014). In this case, it is evident that the concept of obedience is highly used in order to evade punishments (Patrick, 2014).
From the above, it is evident that the concept of obedience has been used to make people understand the repercussions of violation of the international law (Edmundson, 2010). This is because it is evident that if the people fail to obey consequences await them (Edmundson, 2010). This is to mean that the people involved will need to understand the law itself in order for them to be aware of what they are required to obey (Edmundson, 2010).
Obedience can also be used by youth groups in the training of dogs. This can also be termed as obedience training (Millan & Peltier, 2006). This in most cases is the primary training that teaches a dog to sit down, eat, come, and other normal things to a level that can allow for competition based on accuracy and performance. In this case, obedience means to comply with the given directives and orders (Millan & Peltier, 2006). For a dog to be said it is obedient, it needs to carefully and reliably respond to all the instructions given each time by the person in command (Millan & Peltier, 2006). It is important to note that obedience training in most cases is a perquisite for other trainings. This is because other forms of training cannot take place without the concept of obedience (Milgram, 2009). This is because one cannot be able to follow orders and instructions without obeying
and therefore training becomes difficult (Millan & Peltier, 2006).
In the day to day life obedience is very critical. This is because for discipline to be seen, obedience is paramount (Patrick, 2014). An example is that of an alcohol addict that is restricted to taking alcohol for a period of time by a health expert due to some health issues (Patrick, 2014). It will require a high level of discipline that comes along with obedience for the person to stay away from alcohol for the specified period of time (Patrick, 2014).
Conclusion
From the above explanations, it is evident that obedience is very critical in all levels and all spheres of life. This is because it determines the kind of life that we live and also facilitates the accomplishment of objectives. This is to mean that it is a concept that should be infiltrated to people and nations at large.
References
- Milgram, S. (2009). Obedience to authority: An experimental view. New York: Perennial.
- EDMUNDSON, W. A. (2010). Political Authority, Moral Powers and the Intrinsic Value of
Obedience. Oxford Journal Of Legal Studies, 30(1), 179-191. doi:10.1093/ojls/gqq008 - Perry, G. (2015). Seeing is believing: The role of the film Obedience in shaping perceptions of
Milgram’s Obedience to Authority experiments. Theory & Psychology, 25(5), 622-638.
Doi: 10.1177/0959354315604235 - Patrick Hornbeck, J. (2014). Reforming authority, reforming obedience. Reformation &
Renaissance Review: Journal Of The Society For Reformation Studies, 16(2), 138-162.
doi:10.1179/1462245914Z.00000000054 - Haslam, S. A., & Reicher, S. D. (2012). Contesting the “Nature” Of Conformity: What Milgram
and Zimbardo's Studies Really Show. Plos Biology, 10(11), 1-4.
doi:10.1371/journal.pbio.1001426 - Millan, C., & Peltier, M. J. (2006). Cesar's way: The natural, everyday guide to understanding
and correcting common dog problems. New York: Three Rivers Press.
