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Explain the relationship between discipline and obedience from the
Montessori perspective. Explain how discipline and obedience are linked to
the development of the will
“Will and obedience then go hand in hand in as much as the will is
a prior foundation in the order of development; and obedience is a later
stage resting on this foundation.” – Montessori (1967)
For Montessori, discipline and obedience are necessary in order for the child‟s will to
develop itself fully, and for creating true independence. They must be understood as part of a
child‟s internal development rather than in reference to another person. Traditionally,
discipline and obedience are about the other person‟s will rather than the child‟s; they are
impositions, in order to bend a child to the will of another.
For Montessori, discipline and obedience are steps on the way to self-actualisation,
reward systems in the development of the will rather than imposed requirements. The three
levels of obedience track the standard development of the child‟s self; they are the stages of
obedience to self, other, and group (or, to use Freud‟s terminology, of id, ego and superego).
Each stage requires that the child is able to properly conceive of themselves and their relation
to the level; there is no point in trying to enforce obedience to the group in a child who has
not yet mastered obedience to their ego.
The first level of obedience, when a child is under three, “… is that in which the child
can obey, but not always. It is a period in which obedience and disobedience seem to be
combined.” (Montessori, 1967). Here, the child is unable to obey unless the request
corresponds with their urges. If a child is not brought out of this developmental stage
correctly, they will retain a learned helplessness, significantly reducing their potential to
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develop abilities and capacities in their futures. This is the problem that is described when
parents „spoil‟ children, arresting them in this stage rather than encouraging them to apply
discipline and right choice to their internal state and relation with the external environment.
The second level of obedience is the recognition and introduction of discipline, in
which “…the child can always obey, or rather, when there are no longer any obstacles
deriving from his lack of control. His powers are now consolidated and can be directed not
only by his own will, but by the will of another.” (Montessori, 1967). Here the child will
obey without thought or question because of an outside source. The child can understand the
wishes of another, and have a vague understanding that obeying this wish will benefit the
child in a general sense. Internally, it is matched by the recognition of the need for discipline,
as they learn to apply this discipline to their own desires, in order to distinguish themselves
and their desires from their physical urges. Discipline creates the ground from which later
mastery can be achieved, thus allowing the will to be fully realised; without discipline, those
acts of will that can be achieved are limited to the purely id-based. It is the beginning of the
child learning to control their own desires, negotiate the social, and formulate acts of higher
will.
Finally, the child moves into the third level of obedience. This occurring at the
moment when the child realises that through obedience to another party, their own abilities
(and thus ability to realise their will) can be maximally realised. At this level, the child
discovers the joy of obedience, as “… He responds promptly and with enthusiasm and as he
perfects himself in the exercise, he finds happiness in being able to obey.” (Montessori,
1948). Montessori calls this stage “Joyful Obedience”, when the child can see value in the
request the child carries out the request. Unlike the previous stages, this allows the child to
make correct behavioural choices themselves, even when an adult is not present.
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At this stage, grounds for later self-actualisation are born. If the will develops
correctly, at this stage that the child develops both a true sense of self and the concept of self-
respect. This allows them to navigate the social sphere fully, with a...