Social Conformity

In Aldous Huxley’s novel Brave New World, Huxley creates a futuristic world governed by conformity and submission to society. Citizens of this World State are conditioned to follow a set lifestyle determined at birth in order to create a stable civilization. However, there is still some form of individuality in each person, specifically in the characters Bernard, Lenina, and Linda. Within each of these characters, their difference in personality does not fit the norms of society, and they therefore try to suppress their own traits with unique methods such as soma. In times of sadness and despair, Bernard, Lenina, and Linda each give up a part of their own individuality and ideology, sticking to the

Many individuals is faced with the decision of conforming or choosing personal desire, and it is not an easy decision. It is hard because being shunned by others for being different is not a good feeling. Choosing to conform over personal desire, often leads to loss. On the other hand, personal desire is what sets others apart and gives them joy. In the poem, “The Jackhammer Syndrome”, Al Purdy discusses the good and bad memories he has experienced. He goes through his memories of when he had fun and made mistakes, but he reflects on what he could have done better. The author of “The Jackhammer Syndrome informs against choosing the welcoming joy of conformity over the long-term gains of personal desire. Making the decision to pursue conformity over personal desire may seem easy at first, but if the choice is to conform, the joy it gives will not last. Making the decision to pursue conformity over personal desire Conformity may seem to give joy at first, but it does not last. When Al is playing pool with his brother, he wants to win badly, but losses. However when he did not care to win, Al wins! Conforming can lead to loss but personal desire has much to gain. If the choice is to conform, personal identity may be lost. In my life, I recognize several instances in which I found several similarities between Al and myself. I have made decisions that were not always good ones such as swimming across long distances with friends.

Conformity is a concept that has been heavily researched in the field of social psychology. Conformity is defined as a change in behavior, beliefs, and attitudes due to group pressure perceived as real (encompassing the presence of others) or imagined (encompassing the pressure of social standards) (Myers, 2010, p. 192). The concept of conformity is a powerful influence on the tendency for people to arrange their thoughts, perspectives, and ideas with others, especially when in a group. This takes away from a person’s individuality because they want to feel accepted by others and therefore, a person will accomplish this basic need of approval through conforming.

As readers, we see how the analysis of conflictive themes has been taking over literature scenarios. When reading between the lines of certain books we can perceive themes such as conformity and rebellion. Mostly these themes can be seen in writings from times of social upheaval. According to The Oxford Dictionary, the word conformity means “behavior in accordance with socially accepted conventions or standards”, while rebellion means “the action or process of resisting authority, control, or convention.” These terms create a constant battle among societies. A certain amount of conformity needs to exist in life in order to avoid disorder. This is the reason society has laws, rules and expectations. Literature represents life, and these themes can be found at the root of many literary works. Conformity can also be considered as silence. This silence is based on the restrictions of real feelings and thoughts in some literary pieces. During the sixteenth century, the emphasis on conformity was at its height. Works of literature from this time period have often reflected a fascination and frustration with this particular characteristic. People do not want to be restricted in terms of expressing opinions and developing certain activities. When facing oppression, denial of their freedom, they rebel, and that contributes to the part of the process of change in society. Not all kinds of rebellions are rationally fundamental, but when they are, it can transform society for the

“Group conformity scares the pants off me because it’s so often a prelude to cruelty towards anyone who doesn’t want to-or can’t-join the Big Parade.” The style of text I have chosen to focus on is individuality, as I believe that uniqueness of an individual is essential for freedom. Through analysing the texts Brave New World by Aldous Huxley, Equilibrium by Kurt Wimmer, Blind Faith by Ben Elton, The Machine Stops by E.M. Foster and I Always do what Teddy Says by Harry Harrison. I have noticed that societies are being controlled through the idea of conflicts and religious symbolism and conformity, which are prominent in all the societies. The intent to trigger us of the dystopias that could arise in our world today is prominent. I have also

As Dr. Seuss once said, “Be who you are and say what you feel, because those who mind don 't matter and those who matter don 't mind.” Through this quote, the foundation of conformity is uprooted from its murky hovel and is disputed with. Despite, though, how many people preach these words, they still succumb to the mind numbing effects without even realizing it, because they are not fully aware of the causes of this topic. That is why one needs to understand the causes of conformity before preventing the effects. The three causes of conformity include: changing how one acts to avoid the rejection of their peers, depending on other people 's’ opinions because they are oblivious to a certain topic, and conforming to something based on social characteristics.

“I once told a woman I had Asperger's Syndrome and she responded with ‘that's ridiculous, you’re doing great’” (McCreary 0:18). People default to a judgemental state in which they constantly disapprove of actions that deviate from their definition of normality. Why do we create these stereotypes to solidify what we believe is the normal way to live an abnormal life? The answer is: we will never be able to escape societal conformity because our way of life is shaped by the rules society imposes. Perhaps this unfulfilled desire to escape the routine normality of our lives leads readers to Mark Haddon’s The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time whose narrator Christopher John Francis Boone escapes this detrimental darkness because of the “flaw” he was born with, Asperger’s. Christopher values the rules created in his mind that, because of his condition, do not conform to society. This explains why he resented his father for lying to him; nevertheless, he would not have reacted the same if his father told him that he killed Wellington. However, the father doesn’t share the truth. Instead, he finds himself in an entanglement of horrible lies because he fears that Christopher can’t handle the truth due to his undeveloped mind, inability emotionalize facts, and his understanding of the world around him. In reality, though, the rationale the father uses for the dishonesty prove his own undoing, for Christopher seems less concerned with the action than the unacceptable lies.

Since I was little I have been told what is “right” and what is “wrong” in the world as a member of the society. According to my parents there are certain behaviors that are accepted in society such as being a good citizen (not causing any trouble, being a good student, being friendly, etc.) But then again, the question is: are all these actions being done because we really want to do them, or is it more because is what society thinks is correct to do? Growing up in a society that is constantly telling people how they are supposed to dress, how they need to behave, or even what music is okay to listen to can cause societal conformity, and it can bring negative effects in some people who conform to society. People should not conform to the norms

Dr. V. Chandra-Mouli, a leading World Health Organization (W.H.O) expert and representative, in a video posted on You Tube (2015) explained the numerous challenges towards educating the youth on how to achieve a happy sexual and reproductive life. Martinez, (2009) was of a similar opinion as Dr. V. Chandra-Mouli that the teenage sexual life needs to be enjoyed; however as it is, too much focus is paid on how to educate the youths about reproduction, sex or how to avoid problems. Schalet et al. (2014) identified that societal norms and values were to blame for not creating a platform for the youth to be educated on how to enjoy their sexual life.

Jinato Hu once said, “Diversity in the world is a basic characteristic of human society, and also the key condition for a lively and dynamic world as we see today.” Without the range of individuals in the world every person would be exactly the same. The claim “the world would be a better place if more people were like you” raises the question of to what extent does individuality overpower conformity. The statement requires us to view the world as a group of different and unique individuals or as a community where everyone is the same. Therefore, to a large extent individuality overpowers conformity proving that the claim “the world would be a better place if more people were like you” would not be true of me.

With the rules and policies set in place today it makes it hard for students to learn, as the strict standards and repetitive nature of a daily high school life causes students to look forward to a day off, and dreading a day that increases their knowledge that might benefit them in their chosen career in the future. These rules and policies are what makes students feel like they are a victim of conformity as for five days a week for nine months we are expected to follow the same routine without any changes which is without a doubt make students lose interest in their education.

Society forces one to conform. Like an albino animal stuck in the wild, a human being may face difficult challenges if they’re viewed as different from the norm. An albino animal may be shunned away from its counterparts and may be easily detected by a predator. Likewise, if a man dares to stand out of the norm, they are likely to be viewed as a weak link. Rooting from such ideas about conformity, George F. Kennan argues that Americans have a high tendency to conform, to be like their neighbor, to be equal. While a single person may have control over their decisions, it is more likely that they will endure the burden of conforming with the rest of society in order for acceptance and survival.

This is a tough question to answer. As a human being, we all try to conform to the social norms. We do not want to be different because when we are different, loneliness and judgement will creep on our door. We live in a society full of discriminations and judgement. It takes a lot of guts and courage for someone to stand up challenge the social system. The fact that one is standing by oneself against millions of people is just frightening.

There are many parts of social psychology such as socializiaton, conformity, us versus them, and finally institutional racism or prejudice.

Throughout one's life, one's life one will develop a set of weaknesses and fears, caused by the nature of their development and the nurturing that comes afterward. Only through inner and outer reflection might one find the deep causes of the way in which they are. I have developed for myself and with the teaching of others to have weaknesses such as shyness and an unhealthy independence, as well as the fear of loneliness and rejection. Through research regarding the psychological, anthropological and sociological reasonings for these behaviors I have concluded that my upbringing and DNA are the causes.