A Few Good Men By Erich Fromm - 1404 Words

In the movie A Few Good Men, there is a large overlying problem in how Dawson and Downey succumb to blindly following their superior’s crude moral values. In his article â€Å"Disobedience as a Psychological and Moral Problem,† Erich Fromm studies the acts of obedience and the subsequent disobedience from a psychological standpoint. He begins by attesting disobedience to the beginning of true human life and obedience to the lingering doom that humans faced during the cold war. He continues to further break apart obedience into separate influential categories. Finally ending with the instructions as to how one learns to disobey (Fromm 12. In his article â€Å"The Genocidal Killer in the Mirror,† Crispin Sartwell explains the men who served as the†¦show more content†¦He would classify their obedience as such because they submit blindly to the orders of Colonial Jessep, whether he be in person or only in their minds. Finally, he would explain the authorita rian conscience as stemming from an irrational authority because Col. Jessep had to use his powers in a detrimental way to obtain the result (Fromm 126). Sartwell would agree with Fromm however, he would attribute Dawson and Downey’s willingness to defer to authority as to why they are so easily controlled by Col. Jessep (118). He believes that every person can submit to authority with the help of other people (Sartwell 118). According to Saul McLeod a psychology tutor and University and owner of Psychology Today the superego, as once stated by the infamous psychologist Sigmund Freud, oversees making humans feel guilty in situations where they did not act ideally or it can instill pride during times where they did act ideally. This idea of a superego can be used to give further explanation as to why Dawson and Downey are so inclined to listen to and follow Col. Jessep even though he was not the one to physically tell them to give Santiago the code red (McLeod). Fromm would a gree with McLeod that this ability of the superego to persuade a person one way or the other leads to an easier ability to control another person. Just as Fromm provides the specifics as to what isShow MoreRelatedA Few Good Men By Erich Fromm1403 Words   |  6 Pagescapability and, thus, it can prevent unethical actions. In the film, A Few Good Men, Col. Nathan R. Jessup, the commanding officer at Guantanamo Bay Cuba orders a â€Å"code red† – an unsanctioned disciplinary action against Pfc. William T. Santiago. Lance Cpl. Harold W. Dawson and Pfc. Louden Downey, two U.S. Marines, are the fellow platoon members that implement the code red, and Lt. Daniel Kaffee defends Dawson and Downey in court. Erich Fromm, author of â€Å"Disobedience as a Psychological and Moral Problem,†Read MoreA Few Good Men By Erich Fromm1546 Words   |  7 PagesDuring the motion picture â€Å"A Few Good Men† it obscures the inquiry whether disobedience or obedience is the rat ional distinction and at what instant does following the orders turn into blind obedience and submission? Furthermore, the movie complicates this theme by establishing military culture where disobedience to a higher power invokes dire repercussions. One example in the motion picture is when United States Marines Lance Corporal Harold Dawson and Private Louden Downey where instructed by theirRead MoreA Few Good Men By Erich Fromm And Stanley Milgram1214 Words   |  5 PagesThe movie, A Few Good Men, is the story of how two marines go on trial for the murder of another marine. The movie then unfolds into an emotional drama which dives deep into conspiracy and the psychodynamics of following orders. A Few Good Men was a critically acclaimed movie and was nominated for multiple Academy Awards. Similarly, authors Erich Fromm and Stanley Milgram, wrote essays that explored the morals behind obedience, and how disobedience of immoral commands can bring betterment to othersRead MoreEssay about The Abuse of Power in the Military1186 Words   |  5 PagesA Few Good Men is a movie that adequately causes debate among renowned professors, philosophers, and psychoanalysts. The film demonstrates multiple qualities of commands and power in the military, specifically the Marines. A Few Good Men has an early distinguishable gender distinction, where women are subordinate to men, despite being higher in rank. Marines use a punishment known as a Code Red to discipline any soldier who fails to comply with any and all given orders. Philip G. Zimbardo is a professorRead MoreObedience and Disobedience in A Few Good Man1594 Words   |  7 Pagesfilm A Few Good Men. Two soldiers caught in the middle of right and wrong will keep there hope and loyalty high as they wish for the best. Will the instigator of it all be pressured through his own anger to reveal the truth? Rob Reiner presents Col. Nathan R. Jessep as having an exaggerated self opinion while using his power for evil, based on dispositional factors. Lt. Daniel Kaffee uses his Harvard law education to represent two Marines who are being charged for murder in the movie A Few Good MenRead MoreObedience And Its Effect On Society2278 Words   |  10 Pagesbeen the root of numerous atrocities and serves as a reminder that obedience can lead to humanity’s downfall. Themes of obedience are studied in many articles and experiments. Two prominent examples, Stanley Milgram, a social psychologist, and Erich Fromm, a psychoanalyst, both wrote about their beliefs as to why humans are so prone to obey. The nature of human obedience derives its potency from consistent habituating, protection, and a deeply ingrained human characteristic. One of the reasons whyRead MoreObedience Is Not A Bad Thing Essay1420 Words   |  6 Pagesobedience and disobedience serve a purpose, from positive control through obedience, to denying control to avoid being influenced to do something immoral. Erich Fromm, Doris Lessing, and Stanley Milgram reveal how the effects of obedience can be negative and how hard it can be to disobey. Obedience can be catastrophic; during the holocaust, many men obeyed orders only to find they were puppets in an evil scheme. However, thriving obedience in the human species is a cause of the need to please, a difficultyRead MoreObedience Is Not A Bad Thing Essay1465 Words   |  6 Pagesobedience and disobedience serve a purpose, from positive control through obedience, to denying control to avoid being influenced to do something immoral. Erich Fromm, Doris Lessing, and Stanley Milgram reveal how the effects of obedience can be negative and how hard it can be to disobey. Obedience can be catastrophic; duri ng the holocaust, many men obeyed orders only to find they were puppets in an evil scheme. However, thriving obedience in the human species is a cause of the need to please, a difficultyRead MoreAnalysis Of The Movie A Few Good Men Essay1555 Words   |  7 PagesConsequences of Obedience Late one night, two Marines, Lance Corporal Harold Dawson and Private First Class Louden Downey carried out a â€Å"code red† on Private First Class William Santiago that ultimately resulted in Santiago’s death. In the film A Few Good Men, nominated for an Academy Award for best picture and directed by Rob Reiner, Lieutenant Daniel Kaffee, investigates the crime and develops his own opinion on whether the murder of Santiago was ethically stable in terms of Dawson and Downey’s mentalRead MoreLove and Marriage Illustrated in Raisin in the Sun, A Dolls House and Is Love an Art960 Words   |  4 PagesIn the late 1800’s through early 1900’s women and men were did not â€Å"tie the knot† like the women and men do in today’s day. In today’s world, women and men get married because they have many things in common, they are in love with each other, and they choose to get married to one another. In many stories written back then, reade rs can expect to read about how marriages were arranged and how many people were not having the wedded bliss marriage proclaims today. Take a look at Ruth and Walter in