...Conformity and Obedience Psych/555 May 11, 2013 Dr. Anthony Conformity and Obedience Humans are known as social animals as they live life together while forming a variety of groups and try to improve their relationship within groups. Interaction with others is a natural consequence of residing in society. During this process the interaction of society and its rules has social implications of each. If the people face no social impact, like peer pressure, a large portion of them to demonstrate compliance by modifying their behavior, thoughts, decisions, as expected. This paper will discuss the issues of conformity & obedience. Compare and contrast the concepts of conformity and obedience. Conformity is well observed when people are in groups, which exerts pressure in their lives on things they do not normally do in their routine life. When an individual is compatible with group of self, it presents the devotion of the individual to group norms. Gender, culture, personality & other factors have great influence on how individual recover in a group (Fiske, 2010). Conformity has a wide impact, as it refer to people who have a common behavior with peers, and these people are thought to help some social rights to their behavior. In groups, people also believe that correspond to group as their behavior is often inspired by the principal group members. (Martin & Bull, 2008). The chances of people who responded, can only be determined when they are all alone, experience which...
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... | |Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory | |[pic] | |Issues dealing with prejudice, discrimination, attitudes, attitude change, person perception, self, social influence, helping behavior, | |empirical methods, parenting styles commentary, competition | | | |Lord of the Rings | |[pic] | |Issues dealing with attitudes, violence, deception, compliance, obedience, person perception, self, altruism, interpersonal attraction, | |personal relationships, helping behavior, aggression | | | |Chocolat ...
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...we will have internet access, or you can bring in a DVD (or even a VHS tape), or you may create the entire presentation on DVD to show in class. (b) describe in detail the social-psychological principle you believe is relevant. Your job here is to demonstrate that you understand the principle or theory, and that you can describe it in your own words. You don’t need to do library research for this – using your text or your lecture notes as resources is fine. You need you to show us that you have a good understanding of the concept/principle. It’s best if you are specific about the principles you discuss. For example, don’t just indicate that your scene illustrates helping, or conformity, or persuasion, or aggression. Instead, indicate what specific theory, or principle or aspect of helping/conformity/persuasion/aggression, etc. that your scene illustrates. (c) Elaborate on how the selected scene illustrates the...
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...Social influence is the change in the way that an individual behave, think or comport themselves that occur when they relate or interact with another individual or groups of individuals (Rashotte, 2007, p.562). These changes may be deliberate or sometimes occur subconsciously and the individual in question may not be aware of them (Wood, 2000). There are various forms of social influence among which the most important and widely recognised ones are conformity and obedience. They are concepts that put into perspective how individuals’ behaviours are affected or influenced in a group or social circumstances. This essay looks to explore compliance and obedience in detail. It may seem sometimes these two concepts might be slightly similar in how they affect behaviour in such situations; however they are not to be confused for each other. This essay aims to clarify such perception and distinctively point out the similarities and differences between these two concepts by exploring how they come about and factors that influence them using relevant research evidence. Conformity can be defined as the inclination by individuals to modify their attitudes or manner of behaving to suit that of the social standards. It simply means to succumb to pressures of the society (Crutchfield, 1955) However, it does not necessarily mean that their opinion or perception has changed; it simply means that they have changed their behaviour just for the purpose of being considered acceptable by the society...
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...Influence of Conformity and Obedience “Social influence broadly encompasses any changes on beliefs, attitudes, or behavior that result from interpersonal interaction” (Fiske, 2010). Humans are known as social beings that live together forming diversity of groups forming and improving relationships within their groups. Social influence, which is very natural, is the result of communication and interaction in between groups. Conformity and obedience are concepts that support the analysis of social influence. Conformity and obedience both can persuade and change an individual(s) thoughts, actions, and behaviors. They also can change the individual(s) views of others within the community, culture and/or ethic group. In this paper I will discuss the issues of conformity and obedience; I will compare and contrast the concepts of conformity and obedience, analyze a classical study concerning the effect of group influence on the self, analyze a contemporary example of the effect that group influence has on the self and analyze individual and societal influences that lead to deviance from dominant group norms. Compare and contrast the concepts of conformity and obedience. Conformity is an important concept of social influence for it increases individuals or groups sense of belonging and self-esteem. Conformity is clearly observed when people are in groups that pressures individuals to say or do things that they normally would not do to be compatible with the group, to fit in...
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...CONFORMITY IS A CHANGE IN AN INDIVIDUALS BEHAVIOUR ACCORDING TO CERTAIN ACCEPTED STANDARDS WITHIN SOCIETY AS WELL AS THE INFLUENCE OF OTHERS WHETHER THIS BE A REAL OR IMAGINARY INFLUENCE. THERE ARE 2 KEY CONCEPTS OF CONFORMITY, ACCEPTANCE OR COMPLIANCE. ✓ Acceptance - Many people conform to social norms in order to feel accepted in the society they live in. ✓ Compliance - This is acting in accordance with something that is requested or following rules etc. Compliance is normally passed down the ranks in the public services Factors which influence conformity People tend to conform more if they have a low self esteem or they feel they need to be socially accepted. A single person is also more likely to conform to feel part of a group of people than two or more people. The strength of the influence as well as the immediacy and the number of sources of influences are also factors of conformity according to THE SOCIAL IMPACT THEORY. Conformity= Compliance with common practices Compliance means doing what other people in our social standing do in our daily lives. Most people, in most social groups, conform in everyday things like speech, dress codes, eating habits etc. This kind of conformity is known as " social control"- the numerous pressures as individuals grow turns them from babies into members of our society. The main agencies of social control are the family, the peer group, the media, religion, employment and the law. All of these encourage conformity of one...
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...Psychology Social Influence Student workbook Name: .................................................................................. Form: ................................................................................... Teacher: .............................................................................. Specification requirements Social psychology Candidates will be expected to demonstrate: • Knowledge and understanding of concepts, theories and studies in 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...
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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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...opposite of that person's wishes. This response is predicted by A. the reactance theory. B. the theory of normative social influence. C. Milgram's theory of obedience. D. the social norms theory. 3. In experiments, people have been found to conform more when they must _______ than when they must _______. A. respond publicly; write down their responses in private B. commit themselves in writing; announce their responses in public C. think before acting; react spontaneously D. explain their responses; keep silent 4. Sherif is to the study of _______ as Asch is to the study of _______. A. conformity; compliance B. compliance; conformity C. norm formation; obedience D. norm formation; conformity 5. Compared to people in individualistic countries, those in collectivist countries are A. more likely to express psychological reactance. B. more responsive to others' influence. C. more susceptible to the fundamental attribution error. D. more likely to be independent. 6. Bearman and Brueckner (2001) found that teens who made a public virginity-until-marriage pledge became _______ likely to remain sexually abstinent than similar teens who do not make the pledge. A. somewhat less B. somewhat more C. extremely less D. extremely more 7. A change in behavior or belief to accord with others is called A. obedience. B. acceptance. C. conformity. D. compliance....
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...Social Behavior What is a social behavior? Social behavior is behavior fixed towards humanity, or taking place among constituents of the same species. There many factors that comes in to play when defining a social behavior such as attitude, prejudice, and aggression. Understanding how groups affect a person behavior. As well as knowing the difference between conformity and obedience. There are a few factors that can play into an attitude. Attitude involves emotions, behaviors, and cognitions. When emotions, behaviors, and cognitions are working in agreement, it is simple to realize person’s drive. Often time’s social customs are not steady with one’s attitude and cause a disturbance that result in a conflict. Attitudes can be explicit or unspoken. Explicit attitudes are those that we are knowingly aware of and that undoubtedly influence our behaviors and beliefs. Whereas, unspoken attitudes are unconscious, but still have an effect on our beliefs and practices. Prejudice is everywhere and happens whenever. Prejudice can be actively unaffected change. One can have a prejudice attitude against anything or anyone. It can be easily pointed out in others people actions or words and harder for one to see prejudice in their actions and words. Aggression contains words or bodily acts to an individual that causes harm. There are many forms of aggression. People are attracted to people that are like themselves and who are physically attractive and knowledgeable. ...
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...M3. Explain why conformity and obedience are important in the public services, with reference to research studies. Conformity and obedience are forms of social influence which strongly affect our behaviour is social situations, from following fashions and unwritten social norms which organise our behaviour, to committing immoral acts because we are commanded to by someone who appears to be in a position of authority. This essay looks at the similarities and differences between the three, looking specifically at the factors that influence each two. Conformity within a group entails members changing their attitudes and beliefs in order to match those of others within the group. Those that conform tend to be obedient and compliant. In order to conform, the group member must attribute someone as having the legitimacy and credibility to lead or influence the group's behaviour. Without this "leader", conformity toward the group's goals will be less prevalent. If a member of the group fails to conform to the groups needs, he/she would lose credibility with the rest of the group. Conformity is a change in an individuals behaviour according to certain accepted standards within society as well as the influence of others whether this be a real or imaginary influence. There are 2 key concepts of conformity, acceptance or compliance. People plan to join a specific public service because they want to belong to that team because they may like the sentiments of the service etc. Hence...
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...Conformity and obedience within the public services Conformity and obedience within the public services What is obedience and conformity? * The ability of respecting and following instructions given by your superiors. * Doing what you are told to do * Conform/Obey the regulations and orders given by someone in authority The relevance of conformity in the public service: It is very important in public services to comply with or to be in accord with something. Every member of the public services such as Police or Armed Forces would wa nt to be accepted by their colleagues and belong to a professional team; otherwise they would refuse to join a specific service if they will know that the respective team does not have the right qualities and abilities such as team work, communication or reliability in order to fulfill a particular task. In fact, is about team spirit and how they perform and conform the commands given by some in authority in order to complete the task in most successfully way. On the other hand if one of the members does not conform to the standards of the team, the performance of this could go down and the public will have to face the consequences as they would not be able to bring a particular task at the end. Influences on obedience: * Fear (physically and psychologically) * Reward (positively reinforced with medals for good or heroic acts) * Love...
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...Running Head: SOCIAL INFLUENCES ON BEHAVIOR Social Influences on Behavior Paper Destiny Kloepfer Psych 300 March 20, 2011 Mr. Avery Social Influences on Behavior Behaviorism, explores ways in which observable behavior is learned and shaped by the environment (McAdams, D. P., 2006). “Social influence, refers to the influence of the presence of other people on thought, feeling, and behavior” (Kowalski & Westen, 2009, p. 663). The affects of social influence from environments can have both positive and negative consequences. Each individual approaches situations with their own set of personal characteristics (McAdams, D. P., 2006); however different aspects of influence determine how an individual may modify their behaviors to react in a given situation. Let us explore two examples of socially influenced behaviors to better understand the affects they may have on an individual. Obedience The blind obedience to authority study conducted by Stanley Milgram is an example of how social influence can actually change the way an individual will behave regardless of personal belief in the presence of an authority figure in a hierarchical situation (Kowalski & Westen, 2009). The Milgram experiment measured obedience to an authority figure through electric shocks which were given by study participants to another person upon directives given from whom the participants thought of as an authority figure (Kowalski & Westen...
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...Abstract The use of power to influence others within a social group has evolved over centuries. Gaining dominion, wealth and social standing are central motives for gaining power over others within a communal group. Those with power can leverage off humans innate psychological leanings toward normative and informative influences to create the norms which others in society will accede to. Psychological experiments by Stanley Milgram and Solomon Asch demonstrate humans predisposition to obedience and compliance, in order to secure their acceptance within society, mean many can are influenced by those in power. It is an astonishing power, to influence another person or a whole society to buy into a reality created by another. To first understand how those in power can influence others, an understanding of ‘power’ is required. Power is a currency, a power currency, that’s desired by others which affords the holder the ability to exert both influence and dominion over people and surroundings. The ‘currency’ can be power of knowledge, love, charisma, wealth, fear, acceptance, social status, strength, or beauty to identify just a few. An individual or group possessing a power currency desired or feared by others ultimately holds a social balance of power and subsequently gains the ability to influence. Those in power use the media to tell others how they should look, who they should like, how they should act and what they should believe. The powerful use media to sell...
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...Obedience to Authorit Obedience to Authority Obedience is a term that can take place in many forms and with diverse individuals, especially with those who are authoritative figures. With many forms of destruction and life-threatening violence taking place during the middle part of the 20th century, many psychologists and scientists took interest in how ordinary individuals reacted to individuals in authority. One psychology in particular, Stanley Milgram, conducted a series of experiments investigating individuals’ obedient behavior to authoritative figures, whether positive deeds or acts of violence. This paper will summarize Milgram’s famous research as well as analyze the most current research of conforming to authority. Additionally, this paper will examine the current research on Milgram's findings from the early part of the 1960s. Summary of Milgram's Research Stanley Milgram (1963) was a social psychologist who set out to investigate human obedience, especially following the Second World War and in particular, the Holocaust (Milgram, 1963). Milgram’s interest was to conduct a study to answer the research question, are Germans different? However, as Milgram began to develop a tool used for studying obedience, he soon discovered that all individuals are remarkably obedient to people in authority. Milgram chose a naive subject to administer a dangerous electric shock to a victim, which releases voltage ranges from 15 to 450 (Milgram, 1963). Throughout the experiment...
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