The Psychology of Obedience: What It Teaches Us About Self Defence and Control - By Sensei Liam Musiak
- Liam Musiak
- Oct 10
- 3 min read
The Nazi regime revealed one of the most disturbing truths about human behaviour — that most people are not naturally violent, but they can be taught to obey violence. Ordinary citizens, soldiers, and officers followed horrific orders because they believed authority justified their actions.
This is what psychologists call obedience to authority, and it remains one of the most powerful — and dangerous — forces in human nature. It shows how easily the mind can surrender responsibility when someone else takes control.
For anyone who studies justice or trains in self defence, this lesson is vital: physical skill is meaningless if you lose control of your conscience.
The Power of Obedience
In the early 1960s, psychologist Stanley Milgram conducted a famous experiment at Yale University. Volunteers were told to deliver electric shocks to another person whenever they answered a question incorrectly. The “shocks” weren’t real — but the volunteers didn’t know that.
Over 65% of participants continued delivering shocks even when the person screamed in pain or begged to stop, simply because the researcher in a lab coat told them to continue.
Milgram’s findings were chilling. They proved that most people will obey authority, even when it clearly causes harm. This same mindset fuelled the Nazi regime — where orders replaced morality, and obedience replaced thought.
Why People Obey
People obey for three main reasons:
Fear of punishment or exclusion — they don’t want to stand out or be targeted.
Trust in authority — they believe those in charge know better.
Diffusion of responsibility — they tell themselves, “It’s not my fault. I was told to.”
These are the same mental traps that can appear in modern life: in workplaces, schools, or even social groups. People stay silent when something feels wrong because obedience feels safer than resistance.
In self defence, that mindset is dangerous. If you freeze, hesitate, or look to others for permission when facing danger, you lose control of your outcome.
Control Through Awareness
True control begins with awareness. The goal of self defence is not only to react physically but to think clearly under pressure — whether the threat comes from a person, a crowd, or even an authority figure.
A martial artist must learn to question without fear, to analyse before acting, and to take full responsibility for every decision. This means refusing to strike out of anger, refusing to follow harmful behaviour, and refusing to stay silent when someone is in danger.
Training drills can help build that mindset — not just repetition of techniques, but realistic scenarios that test moral judgement:
When should you engage?
When should you escape?
When should you defend someone else?
These are not just physical questions — they’re ethical ones.
The Difference Between Discipline and Obedience
Many people confuse discipline with obedience, but they are opposites.
Obedience is doing what you’re told without question.
Discipline is doing what’s right, even when no one is watching.
In the dojo, obedience has a limit — you follow instruction to learn, but discipline is what keeps your training pure and your actions just. The most advanced martial artists are not those who obey blindly, but those who think, question, and act with clarity.
From Obedience to Responsibility
The lesson of obedience is simple: every person has a choice.
History has shown what happens when that choice is surrendered.
Self defence begins long before a fight — it begins in the mind. The ability to say no, to think independently, and to act with purpose is what separates strength from submission.
When you train, don’t just learn to strike. Learn to think. Learn to stay calm when pressured. Learn to make decisions that reflect who you are, not what someone else demands.
Because the real battle — the one that defines your integrity — is not fought with fists. It’s fought with courage, conscience, and control.
Lessons We Can Learn
Think for yourself.
Never act blindly. Question instructions, especially when they go against your values.
Control your actions.
Real strength is calm, calculated, and morally grounded.
Train the mind as much as the body.
Physical skill is nothing without mental control.
Be responsible for your choices.
You always have a choice — even when under pressure.
Understand true discipline.
It’s not obedience to others; it’s loyalty to what’s right.
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