Resist the notion that you MUST submit to AUTHORITY

For many reasons, submitting to authority is extremely attractive. It takes the pressure off. We don’t have to think for ourselves. If any problems arise we don’t have to worry about deciding what to do. We can just do what the leader says and be confident that answer is the final truth.


This innate craving for authority is rooted deeply in the human psyche. In Freud’s philosophy, the mind is divided into three the segments. The id is our primitive childish side. It causes our spontaneous desires for sex, food, and laziness. When you get an urge to quit working, take a nap, eat junk food, or look at pictures of scantily clad members of the opposite sex, that’s the id at work.

The superego is the opposite of the id. When you feel compelled by success and ambition, the superego is exerting its influence.

The ego is the moderator between the id and superego. It tries to balance the two and is perpetually torn between extremes.

Authority forms a bridge between the superego and the id, allowing the ego to take a vacation. When you submit to authority, the superego is happy because it believes you are doing the right thing, the id is happy because your childish craving for a father is satisfied, and the ego is thrilled because for once there is peace.LINK

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Please include some personal comment to this external material

[edit on 18/2/07 by masqua]