Social Conformity In Morton Rhue's The Wave

By definition, ‘conformity’ is a compliant behaviour that fits within a social acceptance and Throughout decades this has changed and developed relative to the pop culture and traditions of the time. Most people conform to a standard set of values, also recognised as group norms, and this is generally done without effort and without being aware. In majority of studies, researchers found the subconscious (and sometimes conscious) fear of being the outcast or appearing unworldly is enough for a person to change the behaviours to fit in. Historically, this is particularly evident with events such as the rise of the Ku Klux Klan and the Holocaust, where world considered it unbelievable that so many people could see what was happening and not recognise the immorality of it. This concept of ignorance is addressed in Morton Rhue’s fictitiously rewritten story in The Wave. Based on an experiment conducted in a History

Not only did increasing the size of the movement increase the likeliness to conform is demonstrated, with clarity, the process of socialisation. Having more members also increased the effects of people’s behaviour and gave deviators more reason to rebel against the newly established norms. The efficiency of the experiment added to this again, and as a result it seemed to take over the school as individuals did not appreciate the idea of being outcasts within this group. It is interesting to note that prior to The Wave, the school would have been sectioned into a range of different social groups that only shared concerns relative to those people. Once the movement took control, each group regardless of what they had done before fit within the realms of The Wave. Considering this it is clear to see the dynamics of conformity within a school environment and how this applies to the world, and back to Jones’ preliminary point on a fascist