As stated in our textbook, “Conformity is a change in behavior or belief as the result of real or imagined group pressure.” One can believe that most people will torture an innocent person just because they are ordered to because of the conditioning received since childhood. Obedience is a type of social influence where someone acts in response to a direct order from an authoritative figure doing the influencing. The epitome experiment by Stanley Milgram concluded that most people followed orders from the authoritative figure regardless how immoral the act was. People continued to send electric shock to people knowing that it was causing pain and can possibly lead to death. The 1954 novel by William Golding, Lord of the Flies, is also a good example of obedience regardless of morality. Stranded on an island, a group of choirboys split into two factions led by Jack, the immoral nature of humans, and …show more content…
Being part of a group can create what one calls “mob mentality”. When in a group setting, there is a loss of individuality and self-awareness. (example is a group of teens on a train is more likely to vandalize and be rowdy than an individual teen.) for example Hindus not eating beef or Muslims not eating pork is a confirming behavior. Conforming behaviors can be termed as norms as they are considered the expected or accepted behaviors.
Though obedience and conformity sounds like a similar thing, there are some differences between them. Conformity has a subtle approach but is still nonetheless considered a voluntary act. Obedience requires direct authority and influence from leaders (usually they are adults or people with power). Pressure and influence are evident in both conformity and obedience. Conformity comes from peer pressure or the need to fit into that certain group while obedience comes from the fear of being punished or abandoned and sometimes out of
“There is no darkness - but ignorance” - William Shakespeare. Conformity and ignorance? Not much of a difference exists. Ignorance is being mindless as of ego. Conformity is being mindlessly happy as of ignorance.
The other type on conformity is called informational influence. People assume the actions of others in an attempt to reflect correct behavior for a given situation. This may work wonderful in a beehive where there are thousands of other bees with the same mindset. The Problem with this in today 's society can be explained with the simple Solomon Asch
When you obey, it is part of your culture, you were raised to obey your parents and peers. When you disobey, you are going against the way you were raised and your culture. Most people would say that, culture is the ONLY thing that impacts the way you view the world. I disagree, I believe that culture has much to do with it, but it is not everything. For example, have you ever saw something as a child that you wanted to do
Individuals who fall prey to mob mentality adopt the behaviours and actions of the people around them. To fit in with the rest of the group,
The characters in William Golding’s novel, Lord of the Flies, illustrate a loss of morality that comes with the growth of tribalism. The book in question, Lord of the Flies, is about a group of boys who are the only survivors of a plane-crash on an uninhabited island, and how they survive on their own. The growth of tribalism was evident in the increasing separation between the boys and the eventual formation of two conflicting groups, and the loss of morality was illustrated by the boys’ lack of respect for human life. Instead of progressing through Kohlberg’s stages of moral development, we see the boys regress through the stages. The spark that created intense tribalism occurred at the start of the novel when Ralph was voted chief over
Firstly, a norm is defined as rules that regulate social life, including explicit laws and implicit cultural standards. This relates to the particular experiment because the whole point was to break one of these norms and see the ripple effect it had on the people around me. Another term is attitude, which is defined as a relatively stable opinion containing beliefs and emotional feelings about a topic. This has to do with the experiment because My mother, who had the biggest reaction when I broke the norm, and I have different attitudes when it comes to proper etiquette and it is something that is apparent in our behaviors when out and my mother’s role in trying to make me conform to being proper when in public. Going off of that, conformity is defined as the tendency people have to act and think like members of the group.
Obedience is a form of social influence where an individual acts in response to a direct order from another individual, who is usually an authority figure such as a policeman. There are several explanations as to why people tend to obey others, for example; The Agentic State. This is when an individual goes through an ‘agentic shift’, where they shift from autonomy to ‘agency’. This means they are now said to be an ‘agent’ who is following the orders of another individual, thus making them feel as though the other individual is responsible for their actions. Therefore, this makes them more likely to commit immoral things as they believe the other individual is to blame.
A Crumbling Society The novel Lord of the Flies written by William Golding tells the story of a group of boys abandoned on an island to fend for themselves. In the novel, a group of young English boys trying to escape war get stranded on an island after a plane crash. Initially there is order, but as time progresses things begin to fall apart and the island is reverted to a much more primitive state. This movement away from a normal, civil society over time shows what the disconnect from the larger civilized world can do to people, especially young children who have never been on their own before.
Conformity is when a group of people act or believe in the same things just to fit in with society. Sometimes it’s a good thing but other times it
Social Conformity in One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest “He Who Marches Out Of Step Hears Another Drum” (Kesey 154). In this modern world, to come to terms with society is to conform to its standards. When a person does not fit the standard mold of a society, they are scrutinized for their divergence.
The Peer Pressure Factor of Lord of the Flies William Golding’s Lord of the Flies paints two stark and opposing images of reality. On the one hand, the novel suggests that certain characters have venerable attitudes, making them seem like the protagonists, like Simon or Piggy. This can be seen from the motivating forces behind Simon’s decisions, or by the civilized behavior portrayed by Piggy. On the other hand, the novel also suggests that a deep built-in mechanism exists in every human being, one that prioritizes survival over morality. Just by observation, the novel demonstrates Jack’s exercise of hunting instincts, his combat of the social recourse from Ralph, his influence on everyone else to join him, and his eventual takeover of the
We have been trained to be obedient to authority. This quality is deep-rooted in us all from the manner in which we were brought up. It is natural for people to obey orders from those whom they recognized as their authority. This is the natural response to legitimate authority and can be learnt in a variety of situations. In a summary written in the article “The Perils of Obedience” (Milgram 1974), states: “The legal aspects of obedience are of enormous import, but they say very little about how most people behave in concrete situations.”
Anything is a double-edged sword and so does obedience. Obedience has many functions. Submissiveness to a authentic leader is indispensable to win a war, and also, it provides stability for a country. From another point of view, it will lead to chaos and confusions in an institution without obedience. On the contrary, submission also has some limitations.
A community can only thrive when there is a hierarchy to impose rules. In Lord of the Flies, by William Golding, a plane with a group of boys crashes on an uncharted island. The children are stranded without any adult supervision. The group attempts to form an organized society to stay alive and sane. As the novel progresses, they collectively struggle to keep order and they become savages.
Humans are complex creatures. Understanding human nature is difficult, but the novel Lord of the Flies by William Golding helps to show what true human nature looks like. Humans are inherently evil, but that evil is hidden by societal dictates. Throughout the novel, the human societal mask is stripped away and true human nature can be seen. Society enforces rules and trends that people feel they must follow.