Emotional Intelligence and Obedience

Erich Fromm - See section on disobedience

John Gottman - See section on the "Disapproving Parent" for example

Respect - Includes respect vs. fear and obedience

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Dec 14, 2006 - Page creation, EI, Obedience, and Education

"The overwhelming emphasis seems to be on teaching obedience rather than responsible thinking; on fitting in and conforming rather than being independent and creative. You make being an independent thinker extremely difficult, particularly for young people."

"The rewards for conformity are omnipresent... People are told how to think in the name of obedience. It doesn't matter if it's obedience to the state, your teachers or even your parents, the end results are the same. Those with little or no confidence in themselves, and no innovative ideas, become servants to those who give the orders."

"In the short term, corporal punishment may produce obedience. But it is a fact documented by research that in the long term the results are inability to learn, violence and rage, bullying, cruelty, inability to feel another's pain, especially that of one's own children, even drug addiction and suicide, unless there are enlightened or at least helping witnesses on hand to prevent that development."

"'Go and play' was the most frequent expression of those who did not want to be bothered by the children. Fairy tales were used not only to enchant and amuse them, but to reduce the children to immobility, to obtain obedience with threats that otherwise the ogre might come and eat them or that the good fairy would be disgusted and would not bring them the presents they expected from her.