Example 1: Complying with an authority figure’s demand despite thinking it was not a good use of my time.

I was in high school, and I was taking a math class. The teacher was a very strict and demanding person. One day, he asked me to stay after class to help him grade papers. I really didn’t want to stay after class, because I had plans to go out with my friends. However, I felt like I had to comply with the teacher’s demand, because he was an authority figure. I didn’t want to get in trouble or make him angry.

I stayed after class and helped the teacher grade papers. It was a waste of my time, but I didn’t want to rock the boat. I knew that if I refused to comply, the teacher would be angry with me. I didn’t want to deal with the consequences of that.

Social psychology theory and research that informs this example:

This example is informed by the social psychology concept of obedience to authority. Obedience to authority is the tendency to follow the orders of an authority figure, even if those orders are unethical or harmful. This tendency is often explained by the Milgram experiment, which was a study conducted by Stanley Milgram in the 1960s. In the Milgram experiment, participants were asked to administer electric shocks to another person, even though they knew that the shocks were causing pain. The majority of participants obeyed the experimenter’s orders, even though they felt uncomfortable doing so.

Example 2: Refusing to comply with an authority figure’s demand.

I was in college, and I was taking a philosophy class. The professor was a very open-minded and progressive person. One day, he asked the class to write a paper on a controversial topic. I was interested in the topic, but I didn’t agree with the professor’s views on the topic. I felt like I would be compromising my own beliefs if I wrote a paper that supported the professor’s views.

I decided to refuse to comply with the professor’s demand. I told him that I didn’t agree with his views, and I didn’t want to write a paper that supported them. The professor was disappointed, but he respected my decision.

Social psychology theory and research that informs this example:

This example is informed by the social psychology concept of resistance to authority. Resistance to authority is the tendency to defy the orders of an authority figure, even if those orders are legitimate. This tendency is often explained by the dissent hypothesis, which states that people are more likely to resist authority when they believe that the authority figure is wrong or unjust.

In my example, I was more likely to resist the professor’s demand because I didn’t agree with his views on the topic. I felt like he was asking me to compromise my own beliefs, and I wasn’t willing to do that.

I believe that it is important to be able to resist authority when necessary. We should not blindly follow the orders of authority figures, even if they are in positions of power. We should be able to think critically about the orders that we are given, and we should be willing to stand up for what we believe in