Speech Comm

[prof-cregg.livejournal.com]

She walks in, sunglasses on, carrying a large bottle of water. She's faintly green and speaks quietly...


Ok, gang. The unit for this week is obedience. we're going to hammer out the why's and how's of obedience to authority, and how that behavior relates to trust and influence...and respect. *Looks at O'Neill and Harkness*

Why do you obey? Some of you obey better than others. Why do you defer your personal power? Is it to gain something? If so, that is, as Elizabeth explained so well week before last, hegemony. *Writes HEGEMONY on the board* This is when you do something that decreases your personal power in order to gain something, in either the short or long run.

Ok, so obedience to authority. Everybody stand up and push the desks out of the way. Quietly please.

*Watches as they do it (or at least some of them*

Good. Now question yourself...why did you just do what I told you? Why were you obedient? Is it because I'm the teacher? Is it because I'm older? Is it because you've been conditioned...*writes CONDITIONED on the board* to comply with a simple request?

You cna put the desks back if you want to sit down. I'd like to get a discussion going regarding your perceptions of obedience. Ok, go.

Comments

[ten-and-chips.livejournal.com]

(([pets poor CJ]))

[auroryborealis.livejournal.com]

Rory, who is wearing an overlarge pair of sunglasses herself, murmurs, "I think we obeyed you because you control our grades."

[prof-cregg.livejournal.com]

(([CJ needs it...as does her mun, who overslept and *just* got to her job on time thanks to talking to Shane mun and Beka mun until the wee hours]))

[prof-cregg.livejournal.com]

So what are you saying Rory? That you fear me? Wish to please me? Want to save your own skin? What?

[miss-monochrome.livejournal.com]

::upon hearing the topic for the week, Chiana sinks down into her chair. obedience is *so* not her favorite subject::

[auroryborealis.livejournal.com]

"All of the above?" she ventures. "We obey you because we wish to please you - or, moreover, want to make sure we stay in your good graces. Although, you're very nice and you don't seem to wish us any harm, so I'd probably follow your orders anyway."

[prof-cregg.livejournal.com]

So owuld you call that obedience, or compliance? Compliance is an agreement of behavior due to mutual benefit.

[auroryborealis.livejournal.com]

Rory considers this. "Compliance, I suppose. Though I can think of a number of teachers who I'm afraid of, and I would be more inclined to say that I 'obey' them,"

[http://users.livejournal.com/sydney_bristow_/]

Sydney walks in and takes a seat, obdience is definitely not her favorite subject, it was something that she got in trouble with a lot outside of school.

[anextimeagent.livejournal.com]

Jack had obediently (hah!) pushed his desk out of the way when so instructed. When CJ says that they can put the desks back if they want to, Jack considers, then decides he'd rather be sitting down, so brings his back.

"We obey authority to either get a reward or avoid punishment. When you said to clear the room of desks, I was kind of hoping I'd end up pressed up against someone again, like last week. Reward.

"When the perceived reward isn't enough incentive, or the perceived punishment isn't enough deterent, then there is no obediance."

[prof-cregg.livejournal.com]

Very astute, Chip. Positive and negative reinforcement...tell me more. Run with it.

[prof-cregg.livejournal.com]

And who benefits Rory? who is the beneficiary of obedience and compliance?

[anextimeagent.livejournal.com]

Well... there was a famous experiment (bottom of page) (http://www.23nlpeople.com/Psychology_Experiments.htm) on obediance, which is sort of like a really sick version of what you did with the desks. The students in that experiment were frightened? cowed? conditioned? to obey their instructor, no matter what, to the point where they were delivering "fatal" electric shocks to another person.

That kind of explains war, in a weird way. Something that most people wouldn't do, namely, kill someone, is done because you obey the authority of someone in charge. You assume that they have an excellent reason for ordering you to do something, and that their understanding outstrips your own.

*pauses, blinks* Sorry, kinda rambled there.

[prof-cregg.livejournal.com]

That experiment s an excellent eample, Chip. I'm glad to see you've been reading the textbook.
((ooc: cuz it's actually in the Cialdini book I mention))

So is it trust? Respect? Fear? I want to get to the root of this so we can dissect the way we communicate...

[miss-monochrome.livejournal.com]

::smiles at Sydney and whispers:: You look like you're enjoying this just as much as I am.

[anextimeagent.livejournal.com]

Different things in different situations. Like last week, I drank the mystery juice because I trusted you to tell me the truth -- which, considering that two days before you'd been patching me up after zombie-fighting, I figured was a good choice.

If Principal Connor had told me it was safe to drink it, I wouldn't have. If she'd *ordered* me to, I would, because she scares the crap outta me. If Professor Drusilla had ordered me, I wouldn't have, but if she'd *threatened* me, I probably would, because she scares more than the crap out of me.

So, different professors, same situation. It doesn't depend on their level of authority so much as my perception of their level of likelihood-of-kicking-my-ass.

[OOC: Good, because I couldn't figure how to justify Jack knowing it...*g*]

[prof-cregg.livejournal.com]

So are you saying you obey me because you trust me...because I'm easy? Not frightening? As opposed to others you do not trust, but rather fear? Hmmm...

Who benefits, Jack? From fear or trust or obedience or compliance, as Rory pointed out? Who benefits?

[anextimeagent.livejournal.com]

I never said you were easy. I think you're... trustworthy, in the literal sense. I think you have integrity.

So, in the final analysis, I think you benefit. You would get me to do something with only a request, whereas Principal Connor would have to request and then order, and Prof. Drusilla would have to request, order, then threaten. In a tight situation, you'd get results from me faster than they would.

[prof-cregg.livejournal.com]

Don't you see how you would benefit as well?

[anextimeagent.livejournal.com]

Well, if my judgement is right in trusting you, then I benefit. But obediance isn't an exchange among equals. If my judgement is wrong, I lose and you win.

Although I'd point out that it is not a necessity for me to be the subordinate in every case. You did the Macarena last week for no other reason than I asked you, AND answered questions about your sexual life for Anya that you really didn't want to, because by giving us a certain, limited amount of control over you, you made yourself subordinate to us.

[http://users.livejournal.com/sydney_bristow_/]

"Oh yeah, obedience is my strong suit." Sydney laughs.

[absolutesnark]

Piper wanders into class thinking of something to add to the discussion. "I agree with Rory. You control our grades. Most of us want to do well in this class, so we listen to you."

[miss-monochrome.livejournal.com]

Yeah, I'm... I'm *great* at obedience. Known for it, even. ::rolls eyes::

[prof-cregg.livejournal.com]

*Blushes at the reminder*

So how to you factor in that reciprocity...and how do YOU differentiate between obedience and complience? Let's get me out of the picture, Chip...let's use the government as an example. Why is one obedient to the social fabric?

[prof-cregg.livejournal.com]

Is that all there is to it, Piper? Really?