For several years lay observations have caused a postulate of theory which is; within the time it takes for a high school senior to advance to a distinction of sophomore at University level, a phenomenon of sudden change by these young adults to a contradictory belief system has occurred. Having close association to young adults; both relational and by acquaintance, certain aspects of personality, specifically; the need for social belonging, raised the thought that it was this rather than true contemplation of ideas and beliefs, that had influence over the rapid contrast in ideological belief. In search of validation, a review of the literature on this topic was needed. Previous research has shown that behavior is influenced by situation, personality and culture (Jonsson, 2006). If looking at the components of that research the atmosphere, (culture) situation, has been provided by the liberal progressive theme that has overrun many universities. This combined with the young adult’s time of life that can bring great social, personal, and cognitive changes, provides ripe circumstances for finding an identity that will also feed the needs of self-esteem in belonging. The theorist, Erik Erikson (1963) spoke of this time in life as a type of psychosocial suspension in the search for social values that can define their identity. He also asserted that at this age young adults are eager to be accepted by their peers when searching for values (Goethals, 1999). Concerning the personality factor; many researchers have conducted studies utilizing the Five Factor Model, (FFM) of traits and Schwartz’s (1992) theory of basic personal values in searching for defining traits which identify with either the liberal or conservative ideology. There ... ... middle of paper ... ...ndings are consistent with psychological viewpoints on identity-based social influence (Cohen, 2003; Mackie et al., 1990; Turner, 1991), and the interpersonal motivations to form shared reality (Hardin & Higgins, 1996; Hardin & Conley, 2001 ;) (Malka & Lelkes, 2010). There is plentiful research to tie together the independent components of social influence, situation, personality, culture, and of the conformity found in Malka & Lelkes, (2010) More than Ideology: Conservative–Liberal Identity and Receptivity to Political Cues. Although all of this credible research exists, further studies are needed in finding that difference between a true ideological shift in viewpoint that is internal and consistent, and the one that develops out of the need of social belonging and then builds upon itself in conformity to the socially accepted definitions of an ideological view.
A person can stand up for their beliefs against another person, but as more people criticize those beliefs, it becomes much harder to stand up for what one believes in and much easier to give in and agree with the majority. When a person begins to feel condemned and cornered against a group of people, they tend to conform their actions in order to align them with their new identity. Gladwell states about the Stanford Prison Experiment, “the guards, some who had previously identified themselves as pacifists, fell quickly into the role of hard-bitten disciplinarians. The first night they woke up the prisoners at two in the morning and made them do push-ups, line up against the wall, and perform other arbitrary tasks.” (158). The subjects’ identities fell into align with respect to their immediate environment. With no control over their true identities, their actions as a group must coincide with each other’s. The situational pressure is automatically exerted onto each member of the group; if one member does not act in accordance with the group’s actions, one will most likely face criticism from the other members. The conscious awareness of these consequences will keep most members of the situation in align with their newly molded identities. External pressures play a very similar role, without the presence and involvement of groups of people. Like peer pressures, external influences lure us to change our actions according to the expectations of those certain outer influences. Davidson states, “…given that our system of education presumes college preparation is the ideal, even in environments where most kids are not going on to college” (59). Even if a student does not have the ambition to attend college, they are still forced to meet the expectations of those who plan to attend college. If they do not meet those expectations, they will be
Ideology is defined as the representation of the imaginary relationship of the individuals to the real conditions of their existence. This creates an air of false consciousness that conceals the truth, controls class conflicts, and maintains the status quo. Ideological State Apparatuses, the institutions in which ideology operates, imposes onto individuals a designated role, or forme, and restricts their ability to transcend those objective roles. Since humans cannot recognize themselves outside of their assigned ideologies, they must acquire their identities by seeing themselves through the perception of others. (Althusser ISA's)
Before we ask ourselves why ideology has become such an important concept in the modern age, let’s first see how different authors in different times have defined ideology. I combined the most thoughtful and influential definitions that circulate within the social sciences in the postwar decades. All these definitions have revealed the extent to which ideology remains a very flexible conceptual tool. To some of the authors, ideology is dogmatic, while the others say it carries connotations of political experience. Others think its basis is of concrete interests of a social class while others say it is a characteristic of an absence of economic interests. In the book titled “The Authoritarian Personality”, ideology has been defined as an organization of attitudes, opinions and values. It is a way of thinking about people and their society with respect to the different areas of social life: economics, politics, minority groups, religion and so forth (Adorno, 1950). Loewenstein also defined ideology as a consistent integrated patterns of belief and thoughts that explains man’s
People go through many obstacles when they face their social identity. Some can overcome their differences, but others may not have they change to even face them due to the treatment that they get from society. Social identity is the one of many controversial and complex problems that many individuals deal with. Because, sometimes it used to be misunderstood making reference to racism and/or others complex matters. “On Being a Cripple” and “How It Feels to Be Colored” are two essays in which both characters suffer from some kind of discrimination. Indeed, in “How It Feels to Be Colored Me” by Zora Neale Hurston and “On Being a Cripple” by Nancy Mairs, each author shows different attitude, endures challenges, and change toward social identity.
The astute reader may notice that this review does not include any papers that did not find a false consensus effect. The reason for this is not that this paper is not representative of the literature, but rather, that it is. The uniformity of the literature suggests that the phenomenon is fairly common. Some interesting arguments as to why this is are motivational or cognitive in nature. The motivational premise is based in the idea that people are motivated to believe that they have a place in their social environment. This argument is a based in self-justification, in that if many people share a given belief or behavior, it makes it easier to justify that this attitude or behavior is either right, or not as bad as it might seem.
Social institutions, like educational and religious groups, enhance rule obedience and contribute to the formation of identity and sense of belonging to certain groups. People possess a set of beliefs that condition their everyday behavior, like one can think that education is the most important four our future, while other people might believe that staying at home and raising their children is their reality. However, our beliefs are influenced by the groups that we interact. For instance, if we join a feminist movement, we might start reflecting a positive attitude towards gender equality. This illustrates how our social interaction can influence or beliefs related to race, and gender. Similarly, religious institutions and
Social identities and factors and/or experiences that have shaped your worldview. My Ethnic and cultural traditions and values have molded my social identities, in which both my Ethnic and cultural traditions and values and social identities have formed my worldview. According to my social identity wheel: My race is Asian/Pacific Islander and Filipino American. My ethnicity is Filipino. My sexual orientation is heterosexual. My religion is Roman Catholic. My age is of a young adult. I am a female. My national origin is the United States of America. My sense of who I am is based on my ethnic group that I have identified myself to belong in.
In society, it is natural for humans to associate with groups that share the same beliefs and or political views. We as humans find comfort in conforming to the social norm of a group or society. But, following this trend of conformity consequently causes people to blindly follow others, even if those supporting the cause do not entirely understand the true nature of the group they have associated with.
This period is marked by physical, social, moral and emotional development (Davies, Hartdegen, Haxell, Le Geyt & Mercier, 2012). It is a time when the adolescent’s sense of self or identity is becoming much more clear and they are beginning to understand their role in society, starting to question the morals of others and contemplating their own moral and ethical beliefs (Davies et al., 2012). During this time Erik Erikson believed that adolescents are faced with the psychosocial stage of identity versus role confusion (Berk, 2008). Adolescents explore their values and role in society, overcoming this conflict to better understand their own identity, however if they do not fully overcome this conflict, Erikson believed that the adolescent would be confused about their values and future adult roles (Berk, 2008). This conflict was clearly demonstrated in my own development during the late teenage years when I experienced both the results of failing to overcome and then overcoming Erikson’s fifth psychosocial stage. At age eighteen I finished secondary school and began my tertiary studies, I had been accepted into the degree I had wanted to study since middle childhood, however I quickly learnt that I was enjoying neither my studies nor my experience of life in halls of residence. I discontinued my studies after only
This essay concerns social influence in general. Aspects of social influence as such as majority influence and minority influence will be discussed in terms of their underlying psychological processes and how they differ. Majority influence or conformity refers to the desire to belong or to fit in within a particular group which involves adopting certain attributes, behaviour and attitudes of a particular group. As a result individuals consequently experience group pressure (in Baron, Branscombe & Byrne 2008). Minority influence on the other hand, refers to the influence that the minority exert over the majority in that the majority come to accept the beliefs and behaviours of a minority (in Baron et al. 2008).
As an individual stuck amidst a foundation known for its propensity to breed social congruity, college has opened my eyes to numerous distinctive reasons why individuals decide to act in ways they wouldn't regularly act. Since they ordinarily aren't certain of their character, adolescents are more inclined to similarity than others. In the most essential structure, college is tormented with congruity through the generalizations that learners seek after and explore different avenues regarding trying to uncover their personality. There are two sorts of Conformity: the kind that makes you do your errands when your father authorizes you to, and the less than great kind in which you aimlessly take after the thoughts and tenets of an inner circle or gathering, without addressing the negative impacts it has upon yourself and the improvement of whatever remains of public opinion. Conformity is basic in that people strive for a feeling of strength and acknowledgement in their lives. As a result of this need, “we therefore figure out how to fit in with principles of other individuals. What's more the more we see others carrying on in a certain manner or settling on specific choices, the more we feel obliged to stick to this same pattern.” Despite the freedoms we are supposed to have in American society most adolescents find it difficult to have their own identity.
Fashion is one of those things that people can claim they don't care about. They can defend again and again that it doesn't matter what one wears, it's the person who wears it. But in all likelihood they will continue to be judged, as we all are, for the clothes on our body, the shoes on our feet and the hairstyle we are sporting.
The period of development from adolescence to adulthood offers an abundance of opportunities and confronts (Kroger, 2007). Many theorists argue that an individual’s personality has an increased
Young adults think differently than adolescents and they have different views and opinions on things. During adulthood, an individual begins to discontinue their risky behaviors such as having sex without protection, driving recklessly, and playing dangerous sports. On the other hand, some people still continue this behavior while in adulthood but it is not common. Many people believe that the key sign of actually becoming an adult is financially supporting oneself. This step occurs sooner to the students who either do not attend college or do not finish high school. Students which go to college, this occurs to them later on in life. Establishing intimacy is the sixth step in Erikson’s theory of psychosocial development, “intimacy versus isolation.” Once a person has established their own identity, they are prepared to establish a “shared identity” (intimacy) with another person. Men and women resolve intimacy issues very differently, for instance, some women establish intimacy by getting married and having children, before they actually establish their identity. Middle-aged women attending college are an example of these
On a daily basis, people are being influenced by the people around them, whether it is directly or indirectly. A person’s thoughts, feelings and actions can influence and be influenced by society. These social interactions provide enough opportunity for the presence of people to influence and change behavior, views, and attitudes of an individual. There are several forms of social influences, such as conformity, which I will be discussing. Why we conform has been a topic of considerable interest to social psychologists in particular such as he classic and well-known studies of Muzafer Sherif and Solomon Asch. In addition to researching why we conform, there’s also the question of whether conformity is good or bad.