Reply to why am i so weird around people with "authority"??

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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]What your parents like? I struggle with authority figures because my parents mostly ignored me when I was child, except when they were upset with me (when they'd yell at me or hit me). So I grew having no idea what to do with authority other than obey and hope I go unnoticed. I am particularly uncomfortable with the attention of authority figures, even positive attention -- I do not trust it and am always waiting for the other shoe to drop. I get tongue tied and don't know how to proceed. I am afraid of being punished and most comfortable being ignored, though of course also being ignored is triggering.

I guess that makes me "weird" according to PPs. I don't think I'm weird at all -- my issues are pretty easy to explain. But people have low tolerance for difference or difficulty. Why isn't that weird, I wonder? I guess I don't make the rules (I'm not an authority figure).[/quote]

This is interesting because I feel exactly the same way; however, my parents were really very benign - just basic 70s and 80s parenting.

Also, I actually do have some power at work. I am a department director at a major academic medical center with about 30 doctors and other healthcare professionals reporting to me. I am very well known in my field in both the US and abroad, and if I “say the word” I can (often) get people jobs, convince professional organizations to give someone an award, and strong arm our trainees get top tier fellowships. I have no problem being assertive and even outright aggressive (if necessary) in a professional setting with my colleagues, and I will fight tooth and nail for my group and my patients.

However, I shrink away and become tongue-tied and scatter-brained when I have to interact with figures of authority outside of my own sphere - like principals, store managers, etc.

It is very weird and I have not been able to overcome it.
I’m actually kind of relieved to hear that I am not the only one who feels this way.[/quote]

This is OP and i'm almost the same across the board, even down to working in healthcare - I have no discomfort around my CEO, senior people i'm working with in a professional context or anything else where I'm in my professional role (except with heads of cardiology departments but thats more bc they always seem so aggressive which throws me off).  Its when I'm not in my professional role, I suddenly get so uncomfortable.  It drives me crazy....why can't I just have a natural convo with the principal of my kids school, he's friendly, i pay the school a fortune, he's younger than me, and I'm generally a good advocate for my kids...but freeze up like I'm so how going to blow it[/quote]

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