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May 18, 2025 19 mins

Why do humans both seek out authority figures and resist them? Discover the fascinating psychology behind our complex relationship with authority in this episode of "Learning English with Human Beans." From classroom dynamics to political paradoxes, we explore how the desire for leadership shapes American society while building essential vocabulary to discuss power, governance, and social structures in English.


References:

Arendt, H. (1954). "What is Authority?" In Between Past and Future: Eight Exercises in Political Thought. Viking Press.

Canivenc, S. (2012). "Autogestion et nouvelles formes organisationnelles dans la société de l'information, de la communication et du savoir." Thèse de doctorat, Université Rennes 2.

Desor, D. (1973). "Le comportement social des rats soumis à un problème de surpopulation expérimentale." Archives de biologie. 84(4).

Dos Santos, J. R. (2024). The Chaos Protocol. HarperCollins.

Federal Reserve Bank of New York. (2021). The Labor Market for Recent College Graduates. Retrieved from https://www.newyorkfed.org/research/college-labor-market

Kubrick, S. (Director). (1964). Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb [Film]. Columbia Pictures.

Levitsky, S., & Ziblatt, D. (2023). Tyranny of the Minority: How to Reverse an Authoritarian Turn and Forge a Democracy for All. Crown Publishing.

Milgram, S. (1974). Obedience to Authority: An Experimental View. Harper & Row.

Orwell, G. (1945). Animal Farm: A Fairy Story. Secker & Warburg.

Orwell, G. (1949). Nineteen Eighty-Four. Secker & Warburg.

Prairat, E. (2012). "L'autorité éducative au risque de la modernité." Recherche et formation, 71.

Russell, B. (1949). Authority and the Individual. Routledge.

Simon-Nahum, P. (2023). Sagesse du politique. Le devenir des démocraties. L'Observatoire.

The Stanford Prison Experiment (2015). [Film]. Directed by Kyle Patrick Alvarez. IFC Films.

Strada Institute for the Future of Work & Burning Glass Institute. (2024). Talent Disrupted: New Data on Bachelor's Degree Underemployment. Retrieved from https://www.burning-glass.com/research-reports/talent-disrupted/

van Vugt, M. (2006). "Evolutionary Origins of Leadership and Followership." Personality and Social Psychology Review, 10(4), 354-371.


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