Does anyone else get really anxious when talking to authority figures.

[GrubbyRose]

I have always had my worst symptoms when dealing with people who have direct authority over me. The few encounters I have had with the police were incidents where I was just telling them what I saw, and I have never been suspected of any wrongdoing, but I still get anxious when speaking to them. I was the same way with prosecutors and judges when I was called as a witness. My high school principal knew of my issues, and always let me take a minute and get myself calm before I had to say anything, and that helped a lot. I was wondering if anyone else has had the same issue with authority figures that I have?

 

[Laneorexorcist]

Not really... I think that I am fine with talking to authorities when I'm not really thinking about it and I'm seeing them as just other equal but not really, I'm always trying to keep a line of respect with them. But when I think about the power that they might have on me it's when I get really nervous, but I try to not do so.

 

[cluckeyo]

I don't have a problem with authority figures. I heard once, that if you are nervous around a certain person, or perhaps feel intimidated by that person, you should visualize them sitting on the toilet. Kinda puts things into perspective. I don't know if this helps or not. It seems to me like it would though. People are just people. We all come into this world in the same way, we all leave here in the same way. Every one of us has to use the toilet every day.

 

[GrubbyRose]

I think you are right about it being the power they have. I went to school with someone who grew up to become a state trooper, and when I run into him, I have no problems because I see my friend instead of someone with authority over me. With police that I do not know, I am always worried that I will say the wrong thing, or make some kind of mistake.

 

[Aree Wongwanlee]

No, I don't have this problem. Maybe it's just my attitude. People who hold positions of authority in the government service are there to serve us, the general public. We are the ones who are paying their salaries. They are there to serve us. I don't feel any awe when I face them. In the private sector, I have a choice. Again, people like, say, bank managers, depend on us, the general public, to maintain their positions. They cannot exist without us. So, again, no need to be afraid of them.

 

[17emilyhalko]

Honestly, I think that it's completely reasonable to have anxiety around authority figures. After all, authority figures have some kind of power above yours (which is what makes them authority figures, after all) and you need to be brave to face those that have more power than you! I personally am always afraid of the abuse of power. I do not trust the police even though that I know that most policemen aren't bad people. I just don't trust that everyone will use their power in the correct way. Anxiety oftentimes comes from the feeling of not knowing what will happen and how it will happen. When you talk with the police or any authority figure, you simply don't know if they'll treat you like you're less simply because they have more power. You also don't know if they're going to wield that power against you. Therefore, I think that your anxiety is reasonable.

 

[mkhl]

Not really, I have this mindset that if I don't do anything wrong, I have nothing to fear them. In my country, people do not trust authority figures such as policemen due to the bad reputation they have. I don't know if these stories have merits but as long as I'm concerned, they're okay for me.

 

[mastrSkyWalker]

Until you asked, I never really thought about it. But I do. I never really made the connection. My current boss was actually my next door neighbor when I was growing up. He's getting close to retirement nowadays. But for some reason, even though I've known him forever, I feel really anxious when I talk to him now at the office, especially if I need something. I spent most of the day with him yesterday going out of the office doing stuff, and I think that helped a lot. I think the important thing to remember is that they're people too.


When it comes to the police and such, I don't get anxious, but that's mainly because I've never had anything to hide, and I'm willing to accept the responsibility of my actions if I'm pulled over for speeding or something. I always try to make their night or day a bit better, because they have to deal with so many shitty people. I think it's that attitude that helps with my nervousness around them.

 

[Ashley0323]

I have never really though about it. However, I got pulled over for the very first time ever, about two months ago. I had a brake light out. I was so overly nervous and anxious for no reason. My vehicle was legal and I had nothing to hide. I have never been in any real trouble before. When I saw his lights and him coming up to my window I was FREAKING OUT! Heart racing out of my chest, though I had no reason to.

 

[d.moore11100]

I have always respected my local officials but I am usually not scared of them but I do remember one time where I was terrified of a few officers. I was minding my own business playing on my xbox one and had looked outside the window right next to me and saw officers with guns drawn, flashlight on, running around my neighbor's house. I found out later that they were simply making sure that no hermit had moved in before the new owner had moved in but I was seriously hoping that they wouldn't see me and find a reason to shoot me. Other than that, I never really had a reason to fear any official.

 

[VanM]

Does anyone else get really anxious when talking to authority figures? I think it's a universal reaction, ha ha. Even if I didn't do anything wrong, when a police approaches and talks to me, I get really anxious. I don't know why. Perhaps the authorities should do a lot more community reach out so that the people can build rapport with them.

 

[kelden]

Nope. Fight the powah!!!


Now, seriously. For me is a very confusing experience to deal with authority figures. You may think they are some kind of superior beings at first; capable of making far better decisions that you do. But eventually, a strike or really will make you realize the opposite. Authorities can commit mistake, or even abuse from a position of power. I think is very dangerous to give a human that amount of power, but ironically, you need to give some power to a person in order to stop those that abuse it.

 

[KW2496]

I don't really get anxious but I always feel the need to do the opposite of what they tell me to or assume I should be doing. I always got anxious at jobs being around my boss or anyone above me though. I don't like being controlled or anyone having any sort of power over me so I have felt that anxious feeling around authority figures, but like I said really only in jobs. Otherwise I realize we are all just people and when no one person is actually superior than another. Of course that doesn't mean they won't act like it, and that's usually when I feel the need to blatantly do the opposite of what they say.

 

[tad1213]

I definitely do get anxious when talking to authority figures. I think the reason is due to the fact that they usually hold some type of power, which means that they are able to impact my life in someway. They are in the position to judge me, to make opinions about me. For some reason, this does not sit well with me. I just want everyone to have the best opinion of me, to make everyone happy, but I'm not sure this is a healthy way to live.

 

[GrubbyRose]

The last few days, I have been doing a lot of thinking about why I have this anxiety around authority figures, and I think I might have some idea. When a I was very young, the school I went to had extremely strict teachers. Anytime something happened, they immediately started issuing punishments to everyone involved without finding out what really happened. I remember an incident where one boy attacked another on the playground during recess, and the victim never even struck the attacker, and as soon as the teachers got there, they handed out punishments. The victim and several witnesses were trying to tell the teachers that he was attacked, but they refused to listen to anyone, and told them to be quiet.


I think that my anxiety around authority figures is more of a fear that they will be unfair and punish me for something that I did not do. Also, I was not one of the students involved in the attack, but I saw the whole thing from about 50 feet away.

 

[DylanRowan]

The only authority I have anxiety with is my mom. If I say something wrong, she comes and remarks her authority, and I just lose. I think I do not get anxious since I only have to say a specific thing to them. I don't have to go over multiple things with that authority. But I understand that feeling sometimes. Most of my problems are about how will I say it, not what I will say.

 

[djanx]

Not really. I usually prepare well if I know I am going to meet someone important. However, if its a sudden encounter, I generally treat them like normal people. You see power is in the mind. Even powerful or authoritative people are just people, and like to be treated normally and respectfully. So, I stay respectful, and to the point.

 

[Alex]

The only people I get nervous talking to is immigration at airports. I have nothing to hide, but they always seem to want to catch you out.


I remember going to New York and they asked if i was visiting family why I wasn't staying with them. Well, anyone in NY knows most people don't have spare rooms, and I could afford a hotel so why not? It's very normal to want to stay in the city as most people live on the outskirts. Those are the only people I get anxious about because they can turn you away for no reason, just if they don't like the look of you.

 

[juvidase]

Only my father. He was so gruff, large, strong, and intimidating that most other people just seem normal. I always do what I can to show respect to people in authority, but I don't see any reason to be intimidated.

 

[clair02]

All the time! The one time I was called to testify in court about something that I had witnessed, and I nearly passed out when I had to speak, even though I knew that I had done nothing wrong and I wasn't the one on trial. It's the same with the police and other authority figures. I'm trying to work on that because it's really frustrating and makes me feel inferior. I really don't know where this anxiety stemmed from but I would love to hear how others dealt with it.