Wednesday, January 25, 2012

Authoritarian Attitude

Having an authoritarian attitude is usually considered a negative trait, and a parish priest writing in a bulletin for priests acknowledges that priests often hear about this observation, usually directed, of course, not at them but at other priests. In any case it is the priest himself who is most hurt by it, and it also hinders the growth of others he comes in contact with. He considers his goal in life to be always growing in maturity, but if the authoritarian attitude on his part is preventing others from growing, this is a serious problem in his own growth.

In his seminarian years he knew wonderful teachers but some acted toward the seminarians in ways that are hard to understand. Sometimes in class, questions that were not considered properly orthodox would not be seen by some teachers as an opportunity to dig deeper into the matter but would be a reason for personal attacks on the students. At times, it would even be a reason for a student to doubt his vocation. This authoritarian attitude on the part of a teacher can have long-term repercussions on the formation of the future priest.

When we come in contact with this authoritarian attitude, the chance to grow will be deferred. In not getting the warm and kind concern of the teacher, we in response expend all kinds of energy on the emotions that are engendered in such contact; it  is no help in growth.

The  writer admits that he also is not free from this criticism and tries to find the reasons for this in his own life. He can't get rid of the uneasiness in himself that he tries to overcome with this authoritarian attitude: lack of understanding the other, little expertise and  experience. What he knows and the way he lives his life are often different, making for difficult human relationships. He admits that he has not been able to remedy these problems in a healthy way: accepting the emotions  that come with the failures. He has tried to restrain these feelings and to protect himself. But with this troubling rupture in his relationships, he feels a lack of ease and intimacy when dealing with others.

Because of this pattern in his life, self-confidence and respect for himself has been weakened, with a weakening of his own control over himself. Anxiety suddenly comes upon him and brings fear. In this condition, there is a tendency to drink too much and to shield himself by putting on the armor of authority in an effort to mask and flee his condition. Others like himself who fail to examine themselves and take the steps to overcome the condition will, like himself, use these unhealthy ways of dealing with the situation.

He concludes that with this kind of attitude, we do harm not only to ourselves but to all those we come in contact with; a good reason to do everything we can to overcome the problem.


                                                                                                                                                                                                                                   


                                                                                                                              

7 comments:

  1. Good post. I learn something new and challenging on websites I stumbleupon everyday.
    It will always be exciting to read content from other authors and use
    something from other web sites.
    Here is my page : www.zweitsprachjahr-unannoinl2.it

    ReplyDelete
  2. I was wondering if you ever thought of changing the page layout of your blog?
    Its very well written; I love what youve got to say.
    But maybe you could a little more in the way of content so people could connect with it better.
    Youve got an awful lot of text for only having one or 2 images.
    Maybe you could space it out better?
    Here is my web blog mftot.jointokyo.org

    ReplyDelete
  3. We are a group of volunteers and opening a new scheme in
    our community. Your web site offered us with valuable info to
    work on. You have done an impressive job and our whole community
    will be thankful to you.
    Look into my page :: http://igbt.sel.eesc.usp.br/wiki/index.php?title=User:Terrance4

    ReplyDelete
  4. I really like your blog.. very nice colors & theme. Did you create this website yourself or did you hire
    someone to do it for you? Plz reply as I'm looking to construct my own blog and would like to find out where u got this from. kudos
    Also visit my site museudosbrinquedos.com.br

    ReplyDelete
  5. Oh my goodness! Amazing article dude! Many thanks, However I
    am having troubles with your RSS. I don't understand why I cannot subscribe to it. Is there anyone else getting identical RSS problems? Anyone who knows the solution will you kindly respond? Thanx!!
    Here is my web page ... yourfastcashloan

    ReplyDelete
  6. This is really interesting, You are a very skilled blogger.
    I've joined your feed and look forward to seeking more of your excellent post. Also, I've shared your
    web site in my social networks!
    My web site - wiki.zadira.info

    ReplyDelete
  7. I think that everything said was actually very logical.
    However, think on this, what if you added a little content?
    I mean, I don't wish to tell you how to run your blog, however suppose you added a headline that makes people want more? I mean "Authoritarian Attitude" is kinda plain. You might look at Yahoo's home page
    and note how they write article titles to grab viewers to click.

    You might try adding a video or a related pic or two to get
    people interested about what you've got to say. In my opinion, it could bring your website a little bit more interesting.

    Here is my weblog - Buy Followers

    ReplyDelete