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The phenomenon of conformity
How does society affect our identity
Conformity and Fear
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Societies that esteem social conformity view defiance as a by-product of insolence rather than an act of courage. Isolation of individuals that do not abide by the set restrictions is another common characteristic of systems that encourage mob mentalities. As a result, in order to be accepted by peers, individuals often have to function based on societal expectations. Some consider pursuing their own opinions and ideas against the social norms. This often garners backlash and hostilities from other members of society, ranging from physical and verbal abuse to denial of individual’s competence and sanity to complete alienation from society. Although some people are able to champion their freedom of expression and right to opinions over the need …show more content…
The society in “brad carrigan, american” from George Saunders’ satirical short story emphasizes the dangers of social conformity to individual identity. Saunders’ character Brad Carrigan exemplifies how lone deviation from social conformity is akin to social suicide, leading to a loss in social standing and eventual exile; although his personal revolt allows him to escape the moral decay of his show, he is unable to retain his humanity proving isolated resistance futile in the end. The extremely disturbing characterization of modern media culture also highlights the extent of the perils of societal arrogance and …show more content…
He defines the show as “getting dumber” and “meaner” and how the present prevailing violence was occupied with complex discussions about Brad and Doris’ hopes and dreams for the future. He reminisces about his sentimental moments with Doris and how she used to be as compassionate and how she used to organize community events and volunteer, claiming “That was Doris.” The current Doris in contrast, is exceedingly selfish. She exasperatedly berates Brad for sheltering the corpses claiming their physical pain is lesser than her emotional distress over a dirty porch. She continues to rant about how his shortcomings has forced to “[live] the wrong life.” This comment accuses Brad’s compassion for the morphing backyard and emphasizes the importance of conformity for Doris to appear normal as she lists off neighbors that are perfectly assimilated. Brad momentarily loses confidence in his pursuit of compassion in fear of losing Doris but regains confidence as he truly believes that if speaks of his idea in a vibrant and entertaining manner Doris will revert back to her generous self. Saunders thereby highlights how an individual’s altruism is also an omnipresent force although futile since Brad is “locked out” thus symbolizing his displacement as a main
The definition of conformity is the compliance with social standards and laws in a particular culture, environment, society and time. If this occurs the individual changes their attitudes, beliefs or actions to align more holistically with those in the surrounding groups and environment, as a result of real or perceived group pressure. This is ultimately a direct result of the power which a group has over the individual. There are two types of conformity, normative conformity, and informational conformity. The motivation behind normative conformity is the desire to be liked and accepted in society. This is most widely known as peer pressure. For example, a student begins smoking because their peers
There are many things that influence our behavior from internal influences to social norms. Social norms are implicit or explicit rules that govern how we behave in society (Maluso, class notes). Social norms influence our behavior more than any of us realize but we all notice when a norm has been broken. Breaking a social norm is not an easy task and often leads us feeling uncomfortable whether we broke the norm ourselves or witnessed someone else breaking it. Sometimes however, you just have to break a norm to see what happens.
Conformity is a word most people are familiar with, but what this truly is, and its significance is harder to answer. In 1991, Zimbardo and Leippe defined it as:
“Social conformity has been practiced in societies around the world since ancient times,” and the reason it is so effective is that humans have an inherent need to be accepted as part of a group (Sadat). Furthermore, Hossna Sadat reports that:
Conformity seems to be the new silent killer. More and more people are choosing to conform rather than be themselves. Conformity is spread across the world and in our generation it’s starting to spread like a wildfire in dead grass. In the article “The Sociology of Leopard Man” by Logan Fey, Logan argues that conformity is becoming one of the world’s most dangerous psychological disorders. I will share my position and provide my own experience in terms of how I classify non-conformist and conformists.
Imagine living in a world where you are disliked, not because you are a criminal, but because you are merely different. Imagine a life where everything you think or do is controlled by the government and going against the group norms is punished by isolation, torture or death. There is no freedom, no independence and no individuality. Now envision that the society you are part of does everything in its power to make you believe that these are the ideal living conditions for you.
Today’s society is filled with many social classes and groups each containing their own social norms for the members of that group. Although these norms are apparent within the group, new individuals who join the group must learn and adapt to fit in. Because of this, being able to adapt to new social norms is important as every individual will encounter a situation where these norms differ significantly. Individuals are then faced with a decision to conform to the group’s norms by bending their own, or they can maintain their ideals which can result in stigmatization against them by the other group members. This leads to self-conflict within the individual, the outcome of which can be identity ambivalence. In the piece “Making it by Faking
For people working in the psychological field it is important to understand and acknowledge all aspects of psychology. This includes social psychology, which is a very interesting and important part of the psychological world. Within social psychology there is a concept called conformity, which is a form of social influence. Conformity can be defined “as a change in a person’s behavior or opinions as a result of real or imagined pressure from a person or a group of people” (Aronson, 2011, p. 19). Specific behaviors that occur in groups tend to be viewed as accurate behaviors. Therefore, these behaviors are seen as rewarding to take part in by the individual because the feel included (Güngör, Karasawa, Boiger, Dinger, & Mesquita, 2014).
When looking at people one would think that they are individuals which think and do things on their own, however, while doing their individual activities they are being influenced on the outside by either one person or a group of people, known as conformity. People do not realize that they are conforming when they are following simple rules like standing in a line or following laws. This is due to the social norm of everyday life. As defined by www.dictionary.com (2014) a social norm is an expected form of behavior in a given situation. Social
Conformity is a type of social influence involving a change in belief or behavior in order to fit in with a group.
Conformity is a social influence changing one’s behavior in order to fit into society by being liked, correct, or for a social role. Most students have never come across the influence of drugs and alcohol until their college years. In order to have fun and be liked by others a person must drink excessively at a party. Otherwise being sober would seem dull and boring to their social peers. In psychology this can be seen as automatic mimicry where seeing others behave reflects the other individual acting out in the same way. Mimicry builds social relationships into pleasant situations. Specifically, in adolescence these social relationships hold a strong importance.
Conformity is the process in which a person’s attitudes, beliefs, and behaviors under social pressure result in following those around them (McLeod, 2016). Between men and women, conformity can differ based on gender and the environment they were raised in. Within stereotypical gender roles, it has been researched various times in correlational data on which gender displays conformity characteristics more often than the other. Studies related to conformity can provide evidence for marketing opportunities, political campaigns, or even provide data for research as to why people conform or fall into authoritative roles.
“Be yourself; everyone else is taken!” This is a phrase I have heard people say so often, but despite its evident truth, people tend to shrug it off. It seems that in this day and age, the easiest way to be “cool” is to conform, and to have the popular clothes, technology, and physique. Being your own person almost seems to be a concept that is lost on many today. With all of the advertisement, it is hard enough as it is to make our own decisions, let alone trying to make them with society overall attempting to influence us. Conformity is one of the biggest enemies of our society today, and it's best adversary is individualism.
While mass culture fostered conformity Americans preferred and been known for their prominent individual identities. The further mass culture pushed conformity, the debate became one in which Conformity and communism were equated and that mass culture was creating a conformist society that could easily succumb to the faults of communism. Billy Graham preached about the rise of a new mass culture and America's prosperity and the misuse of it being the equivalent of idolatry. Ironically, religion was becoming a part of mass culture during the same period. Graham also preached about the common link between Christian teachings and American values he also warned against the evils of communism which he called a great sinister anti-christian movement masterminded by Satan.
“The combination of all these causes forms so great a mass of influences hostile to individuality that it is not easy to see how it can stand its ground. It will do so with increasing difficulty unless the intelligent part of the public can be made to feel its value, to see that it is good there should be differences.” (208, Mill) People who always think new ideas go thru a harsh path, but they learn from their mistakes and experiences, and keep moving forward and in the end those who do make it, make society