...Conformity as it pertains to the Military Baker College 1.0 Introduction Conformity is the practice of involving attitudes, opinions and behavioral characteristics that are applicable to a specific group, in this context the military. It entails the application of these norms to match the culture embedded in the military society. The conduction of such habitual traits assumes the control by the environment and social stimuli. These stimuli manipulate the way in which the military society conditions its performances. The military not only practice conformity in their society, but also to the general public. Conformity pertinence in the military acts a guide to military sociology by enforcing their obedience to the governments in which they serve and to how their conduct their training and operations in their role of ensuring international security of global territories. Conformity is instilled into soldiers in the advent of their recruitment in the forces and the control of their social relations in the military society. 2.0 Indoctrination Process The indoctrination process involves the inculcation of ideologies and attitudes towards a certain notion to change a person’s behavioral characteristics. In the military context, soldiers are stripped their previous personalities and develop new personalities by internalizing new values. Several techniques are applied during the indoctrination process in relation to the social psychology...
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...Conformity and Obedience in the 20th Century The desire to be accepted and belong to a group is an undeniable human need. But how does this need affect an individual? Social psychologists have conducted numerous experiments and concluded that, through various forms of social influence, groups can change their members' thoughts, feelings, and behavior. In her essay "Group Minds," Doris Lessing discusses our paradoxical ability to call ourselves individuals and our inability to realize that groups define and influence us. We, as humans, hold individualism in the highest regard yet fail to realize that groups diminish our individuality. Lessing writes, "when we're in a group, we tend to think as that group does... but we also find our thinking changing because we belong to a group" (p. 334). Groups have the tendency to generate norms, or standards for behavior in certain situations. Not following these norms can make you stand out and, therefore, groups have the ability to influence our thoughts and actions in ways that are consistent with the groups'. Lessing's essay helps set the context to understand the experiments that social psychologists Solomon Asch, Stanley Milgram and Philip Zimbardo conducted to explain conformity and obedience. Solomon Asch's experiment in "Opinions and Social Pressure" studied a subject's ability to yield to social pressure when placed within a group of strangers. His research helped illustrate how groups encourage...
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...Katie Sun Geers 11H English/ Per 5 October 6, 2014 Kennan Rewrite Compulsions for Conformity In the United States, the element of power exists in institutions outside of courts of law and police establishments, such as in the economic system, in settings lacking a forceful, dominant organization, and especially in the compulsions of social life that influence compliance to the norm. Kennan’s most compelling observation is that Americans place extraordinary obligations of group conformity upon themselves (Kennan, 18-20), which can be seen in America’s education system and the media. The education system preys on people’s intrinsic desire to fit in to evade societal judgment, therefore limiting individuality but adhering to the communal rules...
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...is also frequently subject to some form of sanction that serves to promote conformity. The definition of deviance varies from sociologist as deviancy is a complex concept. Clinard and Meier (2001) developed four definitions of deviance including statistical, absolutist, reactivist and normative. Anthony Giddens (1993) defines deviance as “non-conformity to a given norm, or set of norms, which are acceptable by a significant number of people in a community or society.” Whereas Downs and Rock (1998) claim that deviancy is “banned or controlled behaviour which is likely to attract punishment or approval” and finally, Wickmen (1991) states that “behaviour that violates the standards of conduct or expectations of a group or society” is deviant. Ken Plummer defines where there is a broad consensus that an act is wrong as normative deviance, where deviancy is an act which violates prevailing norms, or cultural standards prescribing how humans ought to behave normally. Plummer also defines situational deviance as occurring when deviant behaviour is understandable in its context, such as running naked from a burning building. The rules of each society vary; this is a basic sociological and anthropological concept known as cultural relativity. A deviant is a person who breaks the rules of a society; these are norms, mores and values that the culture holds as important. This makes it almost is possible to define any act as deviant as such an act is only deviant depending upon the following...
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...Power of Conformity Conformity refers to an individual’s behavior that is performed because of group pressure, even though that pressure might not involve a direct request. Many people want to think that they are conformist enough so that they are not looked upon as strange to others and nonconformist enough to demonstrate that they are capable of thinking by themselves. For many years, psychologists have been interested in human conformity. Usually when people are in groups, they behave according to how those in the group behave. That indicates that conformity can affect a person’s behavior and make a person do things that may be against their ethics, attitudes, and morals. The study of conformity was first studied in the 1950s by Solomon Asch. His experiments were very important to the study of conformity. Asch wanted to find out how conformity could influence behavior. He did not want to focus on the general concepts like ethics, morals, attitudes, and belief systems. Instead, he focused on a more obvious concept which was perceptional conformity. Since he performed the experiment on a simple task, he was able to study conformity in a controlled environment. Asch wanted to apply group pressure to the experiment so he could manipulate a person’s behavior. For the experiment, he made three pairs of cards with three different lengths of vertical lines on one side. On the other side, there was a single line that was the same length ... Conformity and Obedience in Society ...
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...social practices, economic systems and rules of law, social organization and patterns of inequality, identity and worldview, and patterns of social and cultural change. Focusing on the culture concept and the method of ethnography, we begin with the historical foundations of anthropology and then follow its attempts to understand contemporary human cultures. Comparative analysis of multiple ethnographic case studies and major theoretical approaches illuminates the range of human diversity, the forces that shape cultures, and how people adapt to a rapidly changing modern world. The central objectives of this course are to develop your intellectual skills, your cross-cultural fluency, and your sense of civic and moral engagement in global society. I hope that this course inspires many of you to become anthropology majors or minors, and grants each of you an anthropological perspective on your own life. REQUIREMENTS This is an intensive course that requires full participation from every student. You must attend all lectures, study all the assigned materials before the class for which they are listed, complete required assignments, actively participate in lecture, and demonstrate thoughtful consideration of readings, videos, in-class activities and quiz/exam questions. Optional extra credit activities will be made available throughout the term. I expect that you complete 6-8...
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...(The man without a head) (Juan Solanas 2003) and Copy Shop (Virgil Widrich 2001) are short films based on the idea of providing an effective medium of how social commentary criticises society whilst providing insight into the composer’s perspective of social concerns. L’Homme Sans Tete and Copy Shop both deal with the social concerns of individual identity and conformity to society’s standards. Many of the issues raised in these short films are positioned in such a way that the audience sub-consciously recognises them and either relates to or confronts Solanas and Widrich’s interpretation of them. Solanas’ dealing with the idea that conformity does not equal happiness through Mr. Phelps and Widrich confronting his audience with how repetitive daily life has become through the Employee....
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...‘Our relationships with others help us to define who we are.’ Context 4, Sample B This sample uses the prompt to show understanding of the text, brings knowledge of various texts to the discussion and shows good control in the writing. Bruce Dawe suggests in the introduction to his anthology of poetry, that ‘Each of us is both a private person and a public person.’ Despite this simple truth, our personal sense of identity and individuality is under serious threat from two entirely separate, though equally negative entities, alienation and conformity. Holden Caulfield, the protagonist in J.D. Salinger’s The Catcher in the Rye struggles to find a sense of belonging in a world that he feels is increasingly demanding conformity, resulting in his self-imposed isolation and lack of genuine sense of self. As a young person, about to embrace a largely foreign world, it is imperative for myself and other young people to find a balance between our own individuality and the concession we choose to make in regards to our individuality when seeking connections or relationships with others. Everyone must realise that while we are each unique, we are also members of the human species, sharing universal characteristics and experiences. Therefore, the relationships we have with others will inherently help determine much of who we are. Only once we have made these realisations can we begin to gain a coherent understanding of the functioning of society and avoid Holden’s predetermined fate of...
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...relation to individual differences • Skills of analysis, evaluation and application in relation to individual differences • Knowledge and understanding of research methods associated with this area of psychology • Knowledge and understanding of ethical issues associated with this area of psychology. |Content outline | |Social influence |Conformity (majority influence) and explanations of why people conform, including informational | | |social influence and normative social influence | | | | | |Types of conformity, including internalisation and compliance | | | | | |Obedience to authority, including Milgram’s work and explanations of why people obey | |Social...
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...Self-Reliance Ralph Waldo Emerson Transcendentalism sparked disapproval against society and its organized institutions, and brought into light the inherit goodness of individuals. Along with it, transcendentalism brought writers who advocated for the power of the individual, such as Ralph Waldo Emerson. In his piece, Self-Reliance, Emerson identifies the true power of the individual through firm belief that happiness and peace are self-generated by the individual. His writings lay firm hold of the good in each individual, and their abilities to remain intellectually independent, not allowing themselves to be influenced by society and the teachings of others. During his time, Emerson was often seen as a prophet with little to no flaws. The existence of his failures and mistakes went unnoticed, but like any other person, he too had his share of experience with both failure and success. Contrary to the way others would react to good or bad situations, Emerson stood out in the way that he did not believe one had to go through a roller coaster of emotions in reaction to those situations. He published dozens of essays and gave more than 1,500 public lectures across the country, spreading his beliefs to those who also disagreed with the pressure society put on the individual. “To believe your own thought, to believe what is true in your private heart, is true for all men, -- that is genius.” (Emerson, 269). Emerson strongly advocated for the power of the individual by clearly...
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...Social influence occurs when one's emotions, opinions, or behaviors are affected by others.[1] Social influence takes many forms and can be seen in conformity, socialization, peer pressure, obedience, leadership, persuasion, sales, and marketing. In 1958, Harvard psychologist, Herbert Kelman identified three broad varieties of social influence.[2] 1. Compliance is when people appear to agree with others, but actually keep their dissenting opinions private. 2. Identification is when people are influenced by someone who is liked and respected, such as a famous celebrity. 3. Internalization is when people accept a belief or behavior and agree both publicly and privately. Morton Deutsch and Harold Gerard described two psychological needs that lead humans to conform to the expectations of others. These include our need to be right (informational social influence), and our need to be liked (normative social influence).[3] Informational influence (or social proof) is an influence to accept information from another as evidence about reality. Informational influence comes into play when people are uncertain, either because stimuli are intrinsically ambiguous or because there is social disagreement. Normative influence is an influence to conform to the positive expectations of others. In terms of Kelman's typology, normative influence leads to public compliance, whereas informational influence leads to private acceptance. [edit] Types Social Influence is a broad term...
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...this conflict that defines a character and develops growth. It is fundamental in understanding that conflict is what leads to personal growth. Sammy in A&P by John Updike, shows how internal conflict helped him understand himself better and grow to understanding the values of responsibility and respect. At the same time, Sammy saw how society was restricting him in the rules and social norms expected by his boss. These conflicts that he faces lead him to make choices in life that helped him understand consequences and the expectations of the world. Sammy is a character that has many qualities. At first you can say he is distracted. From his encounter with the old lady and the mistake he made at the register proves that he is very unfocused and strayed in his thoughts. He also loves detail. The descriptions he gave within the story shows of how particular he sees every detail. ...read more. Middle Another struggle his has is his immaturity that leads to his infatuation over Queenie, who at the end does not even notice him. He never was able to show his rebellion as he quit his job only to prove to the girls that he was too like them. Lastly, his conflict with the life he leads. The manager tells him at the end that he would regret his decision of quitting and that his parents would be disappointed. This enables as us readers to understand he had financial issues in his life that he struggled with. Sammy has a struggle between conformity versus non-conformity in his life. This...
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...concept of deviant behavior, we must distinguish among the several definitions of the term, which are discussed below. Behavior that violates norms. Deviant behavior is behavior that violates the normative rules, understandings, or expectations of social systems. This is the most common usage of the term and the sense in which it will be used here. Crime is the prototype of deviance in this sense, and theory and research in deviant behavior have been concerned overwhelmingly with crime. However, normative rules are inherent in the nature of all social systems, whether they be friendship groups, engaged couples, families, work teams, factories, or national societies. Legal norms are then but one type of norm whose violation constitutes deviant behavior. It is important to note that although deviance, in this sense, and conformity are “opposites,” they represent the poles within the same dimension of variation;...
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...MGMT2200 PROJECT PROPOSAL Students undertaking tertiary education in this day and age are often seen exhaustingly conducting the futile exercise of dividing and budgeting their scarce funds across a variety of spending platforms in order to support and satisfy their university needs and wants. In this project, we attempt to analyse specific spending behaviours of the young university student demographic and define the reasoning behind specific consumption patterns, supported by the findings of primary and secondary research. The primary research conducted by our group will primarily focus on behavioural factors that influence different aspects of students’ consumption, and will predominately be in the form of questionnaires and surveys from a large sample. The primary research steps our group undertakes to will be two-fold: 1. Identify what the target audience is purchasing and the proportion of income spent on particular categories. Clear defined categories will be provided, with examples given Eg. Food, recreation, entertainment, going out, other etc. 2. Examine reasons why money is proportioned in this way, explanations as to what leads students to spend on particular categories, rather than others. Eg. Those who spend more on food have less to eat at home, those spending a lot on clothes/music/magazines/etc. why? Do students have a tendency to save? For what reason? In surveys, open-ended questions may be asked eg. “Your money is proportioned so that 60% is spent...
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...How can we explain conformity? Draw on at least two examples Scott and Marshall (2005) explain conformity with people’s attempts on complying with other’s norms and rules in order to fulfill their expectations. But is it really that simple? Conformity is one of these terms in sociology that have too much different tones and shades, and thus requires deep examination. This essay looks at in detail at a number of classical studies on the subject of conformity as well as it analyzes a particular type of conformity, i.e. gender conformity. Examples and case studies given from both academic experiments and everyday life help this essay in arguing that conformity is a complex process happening to all of us most of the time even without our knowledge. Moreover, this essay provides information about why people actually conform. Every person is an individual. However, every person belongs to a group. The nationality of a person, their sex, their age, the colour of their skin, and even their hobbies are all different kinds of groups to which this person belongs to. Group membership helps building a type of social identity, while applying its norms and rules upon the individual (Brown 2000). Moreover, even in cases in which a clear hierarchy and roles are absent because of the instant development of the group, social influence remains existent. Social influence definition given by Allport (1968) is as it follows, ‘an attempt to understand and explain how the thought, feeling, and...
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