Obedience

Obedience is the practice of following the commands of an authority figure. Although one’s desires or default responses may be in accordance with the will of authority, obedience generally involves people or groups overriding their desires or default responses so as to carry out (obey) the commands of an authority figure.

Obedience occurs in the context of interactions between parties of unequal authority. The party with higher authority issues a command; the party with lower power typically obeys. The balance of authority between two parties can vary depending on the circumstances. For example, employees generally must obey their bosses at work. However, employees might not be obliged to obey their bosses outside the workplace or regarding non–work-related issues.

Acting in accordance with the will of others is ...