Essay Database

Obedience is a necessary and essential part of living in social life. Some system of authority is a requirement of all communal living, and it is only the person dwelling in isolation who is not forced to respond, with disobedience or submission, to the commands of others. For many people, obedience is a deeply ingrained behavior tendency, indeed a strong desire overriding training in ethics, sympathy, and moral conduct. There are two theories of Obedience; …

…we are more likely to do things for which we are reinforced, therefore explaining reward, legitimate, and expert power. We also try to avoid punishment, explaining coercive power and legitimate power. Social learning theory states that we follow role models, consequently explaining referent power. However the theory also has negative points it does not attempt to explain the psychological mechanisms underlying obedience- it does not explain why people so easily abdicate responsibility for their actions.