Obedience and Authority - Essay Example

Obedience and ity Normally, human beings choose to obey or disobey orders based on various factors. Before an individual accepts to execute an order, they must first accept that the authority has a genuine reason or that the order is legitimate. From a psychological perspective, individuals choose the same based on the result, which could be either a reward or a punishment. This implies that one may decide to show obedience to a figure of authority because they are expecting to be rewarded or are avoiding punishment.

In addition, according to Lessings, individuals may show obedience especially when they belong to a group. This is because it is not easy to go against a group as an individual. Here, an individual attempts to avoid punishment from the group. On the other hand, Schor maintains that individuals may decide to obey those in authority because of the work and spend cycle where the modern consumerism world increases working hours. This is an example of a reward perspective as it relates to authority and obedience.

The theme of obedience and authority is meant to indicate the social differences between people where some obey others so that they can be rewarded or avoid punishment. One of the key ideas explained is the fact that most people find it very difficult to disobey some authoritative figures. In relationship to Lessings ideas, the most appropriate example here is the idea of displaying the American flag in various areas. While some can, others cannot. This indicates that some have the choice to rebel as well as speak their mind while others only have to follow and obey.