We explain what obedience is and in which areas it is important. Also, what are the levels of obedience.
What is obedience?
Obedience can be defined as the willingness to carry out the instructions givenespecially when taught by some authority figure. Its opposite term would be rebellion.
The word obedience derives from the verb obey, which in turn is inherited from Latin. The Romans used the verb oboedire with the same meaning, verb made up of the voices ob- (“against”) and listen (“listen”), since they associated certain mental abilities with each of the five senses.
Thus, they associated the intellectual capacity with hearing, that is, to receive and process information, even if it opposes the mental paradigms that we already have. Thus, today we have the verbs obey for those who listen, understand and fulfill a command; and disobey for those who do the opposite.
We usually talk about obedience in different areas of life, generally in those in which there is a clearly identified authority, such as in the relationship between a dog and its master (“my father's dog is very obedient”), in the family environment (“Your son is too disobedient”), or the military (“disobedience in the battalion is punished with imprisonment”), to name a few examples.
On the other hand, obedience It is linked both to the imposition of tasks or mandates, and to the prohibition of certain actions..
Most monotheistic religions, for example, demand from their followers a high degree of obedience to God, that is, to the divine command that serves as the moral code of their doctrine. For this reason, the metaphor of the flock is often used for the faithful and the shepherd for the priest, since he must guide them to salvation, according to the divine mandate.
See also: Discipline
Obedience levels
Obedience, however, is not a total concept, but can occur in different degrees, called here levels, depending on the margin of commitment or rebellion with which the person follows the instructions received. Thus, we can talk about:
- blind obedience. The one who does not for a moment question whether it is right or wrong to do what she is ordered, but rather follows the instructions received unquestionably.
- Due obedience. That which is expected of certain subordinate positions in the militia or other institutions of very rigorous hierarchy. It is a form of blind obedience, only protected by a particular code of conduct, or by institutions.
- Solidarity obedience. That which an individual feels regarding the actions of a group to which he belongs, even when the actions committed are contrary to what he thinks.
- Anticipated obedience. That which an individual feels before a mandate is formulated, solely based on the expectations that he intuits in his superiors.
- Voluntary or rational obedience. That which an individual professes a command through an instruction after having processed it and reflected rationally, that is, only when he is convinced of the need to execute that action.
Continue with: Protocol
References
- “Obedience” on Wikipedia.
- “Obedience” in the Language Dictionary of the Royal Spanish Academy.
- “Etymology of Obey” in the Online Spanish Etymological Dictionary.
