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Obedience To Authority: Commands And Demands
The most direct way to influence the behavior of another person is to demand that they do what you want. Unlike group pressures to conform, which may be largely unspoken, direct commands or orders leave little doubt about what the individual is supposed to do. Obedience can be a normal and even functional part of our lives. When we drive, for example, our safety depends on the fact that other drivers will usually obey stop signs and traffic signals. Military officers assume that the effectiveness of a fighting force depends on the quick execution of orders by soldiers. Many people believe that some degree of obedience to the legitimate authority of a government or constitution is the hallmark of a civilized society. At the same time, the followers of David Koresh make it clear that there is also a dark side to obedience. In fact, history is littered with horrific acts committed by individuals who claimed to have simply been "obeying orders." This issue was brought dramatically into public awareness after World War II, when many German officials and military officers were tried in the city of Nuremberg for their participation in war crimes. These crimes included their involvement in attempts to systematically exterminate millions of European Jews, a period of genocide that has come to be known as the Holocaust. People at the time were outraged when the defendants explained the atrocities in which they had taken part as simply the result of "following orders" from their superiors. Their testimony raised public questions about who bears the ultimate responsibility for acts of destructive obedience. Under what circumstances can you be excused for harming someone else when you have been ordered to do so? When does the person giving such orders bear the responsibility?
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