Analysis: The Perils Of Obedience

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“Obedience, Social Pressure, and their Fatality” It was dark. The dim street light did not help to light up the path as a boy walked through the deserted alley. Above his head, bleak clouds clumped around the moon as if they were engulfing the orb of night itself. The sound of car engines filled his ear, shattering the utter silence. As he moves towards the end of the alley, his eyes glanced into something out of ordinary. Four high-school kids were seen hanging out around the premises. Each of their hands was clutched with a piece of half-burnt cigarette. The reek smell of alcohol and smoke can be sniffed from a distance. Yet, this scene was not strange at all. The boy had seen tons of high-school kid smokes and drinks in television. However,…show more content…
They have the ability to make their own decision through deliberate thinking. Yet, the presence of both social and authority pressure can sometimes lead a person’s mind astray. Human’s tendency to conform with their environment often gives submission to unreasonable idea; ridiculing their own conscience. In the article “The perils of obedience”, written by Stanley Milgram, it states that “obedience is a deeply ingrained behavior tendency.... [which is] overriding training in ethics, sympathy and moral conduct.” My experience above portrays a glimpse of social pressures in our everyday lives. If I were to succumb myself to the conformity of the group, I would probably be smoking now. Yet, I didn’t. The pressure exerted by a higher authority as well as my own conscience simply led me to decline the cigarette and walks away; making it one of the best decisions of my…show more content…
In the article “Disobedience as a Psychological and Moral Problem”, written by Erich Fromm, the conscience of human was separated into two distinct aspects; Authoritian and humanistic conscience. The humanistic consciences constitute the inner part of human that made up their humanity. Basically, it is the knowledge of what is right and wrong. On the other hand, authoritian conscience is the father-like figure in our head that we are eager to please. Both of these consciences are prominent in humans. However, Erich points out that “Obedience to the ‘Authoritian conscience,’.... tends to debilitate ‘humanistic conscience.” In my case, my humanistic conscience basically has nothing against the act of smoking at all. My father used to smoke all the time, and I have seen it as an act of stress relief. Yet, my authoritian conscience thinks otherwise. The fact that I was under the age of smoking during the incident brought me fears. The fear of simply displeasing the law, which is in this case the higher authority, led me to reject the cigarette offered by my friend. Simply said, I believe that my authoritian conscience basically overrides my humanistic conscience during the

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