Lawfulness for Social Cohesion and Peace - Essay Example

Topic: Psychological Theme on Obedience Obedience is a fundamental value that is integrated in a child or person’s development. Within the family, authority is exercised by parents to discipline and nurture them so that they will act and follow in an orderly manner while in the process of growth. Orderly and peaceful behavior is also required in social interaction, thus, obedience is also required as a person is integrated in the mainstream of the society (Gross, 2010). As they grow, a person needs to comply on requirements and processes in social interaction. This paper will critically discuss about the psychological principles pertaining to obedience and cites practical example of an experimentation done by Milgram (1973) about exacting obedience to authority. Society also enforced obedience to exact submission or lawfulness for social cohesion and peace. The absence thereof means chaos, disruption of system, political pandemonium and anarchy (Gross, 2010). However, in undemocratic society where tyranny rules, obedience is exacted by illustrating inhumane acts done in gas chambers, death camps, and martial rule. But as this is widely criticized as gross human rights violations and contravention of laws, measures are also adopted to ensure that democratic principles are observed and practiced. Nazi illustrated this in their heartless extermination of European Jews in the name of obedience and duty albeit how heinous the nature of it and how disagreeable are these to human conscience. Conservative philosophers perceived that disobedience social disorder and thus reasoned on the need to enforce authority even if it’s thought as evil (Gross, 2010). Such kind of practice contravenes cultural norms that are often observant to consensual decision-making; breach to national and universal application of human rights; and develops dissent from its constituents (Gross, 2010). Religious orders have also their respective vow of obedience. This vow is inspired by following the rules biblically prescribed and ascribed as the laws of God. Following the Ten Commandments is theologically preached to make followers behave in His image and to nurture better relation within Christian communities. In corporate settings, obedience is exacted from employees to promote systematic performance management. This served as internal control in consonance to policies and procedures prescribed by the company to ascertain that they have quality system of operation. Moreover, history proved that in preventing risks and offensive actions from perceived enemies, military and police actions are also contextualized on obedience to orders of command. Even hideous crimes are committed when men are curbed to believe on some principles from leaders who opted criminal acts, like bombings, to wage rebellion and extol an ideology. This is indeed wicked and calls on the need to review principles used in exacting obedience when it ran in conflict with moral values. Hobbs uphold that every person who demand obedience should be held accountable to the consequences of the act while humanists contend that conscience and moral values should be uphold at all times when authority in command ran in conflict with universally upheld values and of human rights (Milgram, 2012). Obedience is indeed a psychological framework to integrate an individual to corporate and political purpose. It’s a system that binds and person to authority and laws. Such value is a consequence of practical and theoretical trainings pertaining to ethics, compassion and about good moral conduct. But this is not only about ideation but must rather be also concretely manifested in actual relations. In the absence of authority who’d demand and exact obedience, a person with certain level of maturity and is nurtured with positive values, will work and relate with other persons by submitting to adopted principles. Ethical values earned from school, church and other institutions can be principle-based factors that can motivated a person to behave orderly, peacefully and in social cohesion with the rest of the people in a community or institution. Research methods used for investigation This qualitative study can be explored by using primary and secondary data. Primary sources can be generated using experimental observation using carefully chosen respondents. Secondary information can be gathered through related literatures. In a study conducted by Milgram (1973) pertaining on Obedience to Authority researcher utilized experimentation design in such a way that can generate actual observation about how obedience was exacted and what are its impacts to the subject in case reward or punishment are utilized as a driving factor in generating obedience (Coolican, 2009). Implications and consequence should also be observed in experimentation when obedience are exacted using moral principles and values as motivating force in getting obedience (Coolican, 2009). In case students are respondents, the experiment can be undertaken using learning task procedures (Milgram, 1973). There are also experimentations utilized voluntary respondents initiated by military and police experts who used shock generator through 30 lever switchers labeled with certain voltage designation which may range from 15 to 450 volts (Milgram, 1973). This process can be observed with shocks and buzz as voltage energizer. Shocks are given in case answers reflect disobedience or for giving wrong response (Milgram, 1973). The shock could be understood as a punishment for not providing accurate response and thus, signaled respondents to tow with what is demanded from them unquestionably. This process however demand experimenter should generate third-party advised whether to sustain or not administering the shocks to respondents and should likewise consider the status or protestation of the same (Milgram, 1973). Considering the gravity of this process, interview and debriefing should be conducted by the experimenters to gather respondents or subjects’ decisions and experiential reflection following the activity (Milgram, 2012). The study however, generated ethical questions specially that it has grossly harmful to respondents. Psychological principles and Implications It is worth affirming that obedience can be derived by personal values, by cultural patterns advocated by the family and of the community, by policies within corporate confines, and political frameworks depending on systems and extolled ideologies (Hewstone, Fincham, & Foster, 2005). Some psychologists argued that as obedience is a value, it can be derived from family’s influence and disciplining methods within homes and by the customary practices upheld by the community or society (Hewstone, Fincham, & Foster, 2005). Norms, including those policies shaped by traditions, have bolstered the kind of obedience exacted from a person or society. Obedience, as a factor for social order and for conformity, has been observed since time immemorial as integral component of cultural behaviors (Glassman & Hadad, 2008). Sociologists contend that as education, ideation, beliefs and practices also dictate the political norm of the society, it’s likely that obedience can be exacted by contractual relations, policies, laws, ideological perspective and religious inclination of each person or community (Hewstone, Fincham, & Foster, 2005; Glassman & Hadad, 2008). While these contribute to social development and in nurturing community’s cohesion from given systems, there is also high possibility that obedience can be exacted through authoritarianism, dictatorship, militarism and rule. In the absence of policies and peoples consciousness that will regulate power, its also possible that obedience can be exacted in complete submission even if it will tarnish human rights and even if its harmful to conscience. It is therefore significant that moral values, derived from religious teachings and traditions, should be used as safeguards to protect the peoples’ universal human rights, from violence, from death and from sadistic acts of militaristic or monarchical rule. It should be extolled at all times that people have rights to choose what is right and good for them; that they have the right for free prior and informed consent; and that they are political beings whose nature can be exercised only in a democratic society. Education therefore plays a key role in empowering a person or a community to be able to maintain a society with democratic norms and where obedience are derived out of positive principles. Conformity and obedience to authority is okey provided they are led to live lives that will not nurture anti-social, aggressive, prejudicial and dictatorial rules. Laws and practices must therefore be applied to influence good behavior for the greater good and for child’s positive development (Hewstone, Fincham, & Foster, 2005). References Milgram, S. (1973). Obedience to Authority: An experimental view. Harpercollins. Paris, London. pp. 3-116. Coolican, H. (2009) Research methods and  statistics in psychology, 5th Ed. Hodder and Stoughton, London, UK. Gross, R. (2010). The science of mind and behaviour, 6th Ed. Hodder Education, London, UK.  Hewstone, M., Fincham, F. & Foster, J. (2005) Psychology, 5th Ed. Wiley-Blackwell, Glassman, W. and Hadad, M (2008). Approaches to Psychology. 5th Ed, Open University Press/McGraw-Hill Education. Schabracq, M.J., Winnubst, J.A.M., & Cooper, C.L. (2003). The Handbook of Work & Health Psychology 2nd Ed., London: Wiley & Sons. Read More