Seniority
Thai society is hierarchical. It can be divided into several categories, such as age, social ranks and positions. Of these categories, age is the predominant one that has been observed throughout Thailand for centuries. This is reflected in a Thai saying "Doen tam phu yai ma mai kat", which literally means that one will not be bitten by dogs if one walks after an elder. Children are taught to be obedient and listen to their parents, seniors and those of higher ranks.They are expected to follow these people's teaching and orders unquestioningly. This long established practice presumably leads to the low confidence of Thais. To illustrate, in a classroom, students may not dare to question their teacher as they feel that to do so would be regarded as challenging the senior. However, the binding force of this practice is weakening, especially among children of the new generations as they have absorbed the Western idea that encourages people to be creative and feel free to make comments.