Before modification by RugbyPlayingAshaman at 05/06/2015 09:18:45 PM
I'm going to respond to this one, just because it's the most straightforward.
We're explicitly told this in the books:
*"Now, you must learn to compare your strength to that of every sister you meet. In time, it will become second nature, and you will do it without thought, but you must be very careful until you reach that point. If another sister stands higher than you in the Power, whatever her Ajah, you must defer to her. The higher she stands above you, the greater your deference…it works the other way around as well, of course, but remember that it doesn't apply if your Ajah or the Tower has set someone above you. If you're attached to an embassy, for example, you obey the Tower's emissary as you would me [their Ajah Head], if she was barely allowed to test for Accepted.” from New Spring, Entering Home (Eadyth talking to Moiraine and Siuan about deference)
We also see this in action:
*Without her Keeper’s stole, Duhara would have had to jump when Moiraine snapped her fingers, should she have chosen to. from New Spring, Changes
We also see that Elaida is stronger than Meilyn so had no need to defer, but still bowed her head to the older woman in New Spring, The Human Heart. While it's possible that Elaida hadn't reached her full potential, it's also likely that she would have been put down abruptly if she thought she could run around ignoring Sisters who were quite strong, and older than her.
While we've certainly seen stronger Sisters throwing their weight around, we are seeing this through the lens of extraordinary times. Those instances are worthy of comment, because while they are capable