Social Conformity

“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

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.

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

“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.

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.

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.

What is group conformity? Group: A collection of people who share some attribute, identify with one another, and interact with each other. Conformity: conformity is the act of matching attitudes, beliefs, and behaviors to group norms. Group conformity is the molding of one attitudes, opinions, and behaviors to match a certain aesthetic of a group usually for favor of a group. An example could be in book clubs a person reading with an opposing opinion of the group could change his original opinion to avoid criticism and conflict. In this case it is used as a defense mechanism to keep yourself and those around you content.

Conformity is a type of social influence which involves a change in behaviour and belief of a minority to fit in with the group concerning real or imagined group pressures. This behaviour could be defined as the pressure to behave in ways that are viewed as acceptable by a particular group, either by a desire to ‘fit in’ or be liked. The main factor that influences conformity are social norms. Social Norms are a pattern of expected behaviour in certain situations either implicitly or explicitly. Conformity exists in two categories, normative influence where the individual’s desire is to gain social approval and acceptance from the group to make a favourable impression. And informational social influence where a person is looking for guidance in an ambiguous situation as the individual listens to other member 's views and opinions to be guided to an answer. Conformity is distinguished in three different types; Compliance is the most superficial type of conformity. It refers to a person who conforms publicly with the views and attitudes expressed by the group but still continue to privately disagree. This temporary short term behavioural change which often results normative social influence. For example, It is a Primary 7 's first day of school, a pupil has arrived late and missed the induction to which he doesn 't know where to go. He then sees a group of pupilss filing off towards a corridor and

Social influence is a huge factor in human life; the psychology behind it focuses on how an individual is susceptible to behavioural and attitudinal change when in a social environment. People can be influenced majorly by the actions, opinions and general presence of others and there are psychological reasons for this. One piece of research that supports why people are influenced by others is the study of conformity.

I agree with you that peer pressure is one of the reason why people conform. Peer pressure could make people do things that are not correct. Many people fall into peer pressure to fit in, to please the person who is pressuring them and to get the person to leave them alone. I have known people who have tried to pressure me but I do not fall into it, because the things that people pressure you for could get you in trouble. I also believe that confidence plays a part when it comes to people going along with everybody else. I believe confidence plays a part because if you have confidence in yourself, you would be able to say your answer without worrying about being wrong or correct.

“Society,” Emerson wrote in his timeless treatise on self-reliance and what it really means to be a nonconformist, “is a joint-stock company, in which the members agree, for the better securing of his bread to each shareholder, to surrender the liberty and culture of the eater.” In such a groupthink society, Emerson cautioned, conformity is the most prized virtue, but whoever wishes to be a true person “must be a nonconformist.”

Conformity has been a point of contention for many years in our society. Conformity is an essential elements that help to maintain standard of ethics. Nauture of the job and professionalism aspect are the vital to consider wheather conformity is appropriate for the people to explore their creativity.

Several studies suggest that human brain looks at social disapproval as danger and finds act of conforming more pleasant. Although conformity refers to a human’s tendency to follow the unstated behaviors or rules of the social group to which they belong, it can be sometimes challenging to decide if someone is a conformist or a non-conformist. The information given below will enlighten you about the six signs to look for in yourself if you want to find whether you are a conformist or not.

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.