Unwanted Influences....

Lately I have been wrestling around with the topic of unwanted influences, especially those that come from those with and authoritarian position. (e.g. manager, professor) I was questioning why it is that makes people in these positions act out in the manner they do. Why is it that it seems to give them pleasure to cause distress to those who are in a subordinate position? It seems that there is a fostering of 'evil' that comes from anyone that takes these positions. I am also curious as to the nature of the person in the authoritarian positions perception of themselves. Do they have an outlook on their reality that communicates that their behavior is justified? A couple of theories I have result from a recent work that I read, Dr. Zimbardo book, The Lucifer Effect. He recounts his experiment, The Stanford Prison Experiment, and how students that were seemingly well adjusted, once placed in a position of authority could quickly let that sense of power inflate their ego and cause them to act out in ways that they had not previously perceived.

Towards the conclusion of the book, Dr. Zimbardo give some ways that ones can avoid and resist unwanted influences, thus maintaining their sense of self while still following the basic rules of society. I am going to summarize a few of these and then add in my thoughts and discussion.

1. He gave 10 steps, this one I took as the most important to apply in my current situation and life.

"I respect just authority but rebel against unjust authority" Here he says that we have to determine and try and distinguish between those in authority because they have the knowledge, expertise, wisdom, seniority, that deserve our respect and the unjust authority figures who demand out obedience without having any substance. There are many pseudo-leaders, prophets, religious heads that should be questioned and challenged. So many in societies blindly follow without questioning, then wonder how the country/world got into the state it is. I understand that part of this comes from many would rather just be told what to do/think....but we as responsible parents/teachers need to instill in our children, that we must question, otherwise I fear that we as a society are destined for failure and extinction. We need to reduce our mindless obedience to self-proclaimed authorities whose priorities are not in our best interest.

2. “I want group acceptance, but value my independence” There is a mystical power that ones feels that draws him/her to be accepted into a group. Sometimes there is an even greater power that one feels to not be rejected by a group. We are a social animal, and there is greater good that can come about for society with the acceptance into a group. But when we give up certain moral stances for acceptance into a group, we are in fact giving up a little of our individuality…..or so I might even go so far as to say, a piece of our personality. This is especially tough for those who already have a shaky self image and self esteem issues. The lure to be accepted into a group, to fill a hole that is void, is an extremely powerful drive. There is the drive to sacrifice personal morality for the good of the team, and this is nearly impossible.

I’ll leave it here with respects to the different steps. I have more that I want to review and I will in a later post.