Conformity In Human Behavior

People are consistently changing the way that they look, act and some of their beliefs just to fit in with society. There’s an invariably never-ending desire to want to feel accepted by others. Social pressure is what drives humans to do things that we know are wrong. We are often categorized in different groups where we fit in and were we don’t. Between culture, wealth and gender, the pressure is high to fit in. No one wants to standout like a sore thumb, so is disguising yourself justifiable just to feel welcome?

As humans, our lives are revolved around the line that separates conformity and individuality. Conformity is a type of social influence that includes a change of belief or behavior to fit into a group. Many people can cross the line too far back or too far forward, thus being too much of a conformist or too much of an individual.Conformity is essential to life. Humans live in a society that functions as a whole. If there is a mistake, the entire system may fail. So, we are obligated conform to social norms and laws to stay together as a whole. There’s several types of conformity; Normative conformity,which is to give into group pressure because a person wants to fit in with the

Society can often be seen as harsh and unwelcoming, but sometimes it may seem like a necessity to be able to fit in. Many people don't fit into society, but keeping out can be extremely difficult due to social pressures. This is explained in Logan Fey's essay titled “The Sociology of Leopard Man” through his description of the world’s most tattooed man, Tom Leppard, and how Tom affects Fey’s views on society. Fitting in is often seen as unavoidable because of the constraints society puts on us and the constraints that we force on our very own being, but this forcefulness can often be harmful.

Janie finds out that her second attempt to marriage does not give what she desires, and it is only in her “condemned” marriage that Janie finally achieves her true love and happiness. After marrying Jody, Janie was deceived into thinking she was living a high-class life, but in reality was confined even more in this marriage than her last one. Janie is not allowed to participate in any town events that are ruled as un-lady like by Jody. On the outside, Janie is restricted to the general store or the house, but in those times she would constantly question why she was not able to behave like a man. It is only when Janie marries Tea Cake, a man younger than her, that she achieves her quest of finding true love and subsequently her happiness. Regardless of society’s views of their union, Janie denies all their criticism and lives happily. After trials and errors on two marriages, Janie finally reveals to the reader that the only way to achieve what one wants is to leave all of society’s norms and pursue what he or she wants. If she were to fill her roles as a woman she would not have married the third time and would have lived with how her life currently was.

In The Geeks Shall Inherit the Earth, written by Alexandra Robbins, the reader is expected to connect the lack of individuality of many in high schoolers to the results of the social and biological experiments by Asch and Berns. Throughout the story, Robbins in constantly showing how high schoolers are conforming to peer expectations, despite their own personal interests. Because of a fear of rejection for uniqueness, many high schoolers share the opinions that “I have to be the same as everybody else, or no one will like me.” Personally, I have observed similar experiences. People fear being different. For this reason, everyone wears converses, everyone has Swell bottles, and everyone wears Lokai bracelets. Following these trends allow people to fit in. In addition, high

The society we live in functions as a whole so conforming is essential in our lives as human beings. If we are scared and don't know what to do, we will often follow the steps of others so that we can be accepted and feel safe. Conformity is the result of people being pressured to fit in. There is a fine line between conforming and becoming an individual. Unfortunately, becoming an individual in certain situations can have bad consequences. Individuality makes you stand out from the crowd and can leave you feeling isolated. In Phillip Gwynne’s ‘Deadly Unna?’, conformity and the individual is shown through the main character Gary Black, other wise known as ‘Blacky’. In the book we discover how Blacky changes from being a conformist to becoming

Conformity, in relation to societal norms, happens to be something many people strive to deviate from, yet only few are able to achieve. One reason for this could be because the media nowadays is being blamed for manipulating people to subconsciously adhere to certain views. The media is being used to evoke certain thoughts, whether it be about purchasing something being advertised in a commercial, or even in news reports to give the viewers a certain impression on a topic.

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.

Conformity can be as simple as wearing the newest trend, or as complex as a society learning ideas that may affect their individual freedoms. Some people feel safer when they are the same and cannot be bullied or taken advantage of. Other people however, feel they have to go against conformity as it can drag down society, and limit individuality, which is essential for people to prosper and grow. As seen in both works of Twain and Douglass they emphasized the ideas of conformity. It is easy to give into conformity because it is often what is expected by society. Both of them had different perspectives, yet their messages and themes were still very similar. Although some believe that Twain and Douglass’ pieces were more different because of

“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. A society regularly scrutinizes people who do not fit the common mold of norms. Consequently, forcing people to follow a societal norm is detrimental to the health of the mind and body. This struggle between conformers and nonconformers creates a schism in a society that causes a great disparity in ideals. In the novel One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, Ken Kesey asserts the overarching importance of individuality through the use of a conflict between the patients and the nurse as a microcosm of society.

Each day, people make decisions that are influenced by what is considered normal in society. Whether it’s the clothes they wear, the activities do, the things they say, or the way they act, everybody participates in conformity on some level. The archetype of conformity is represented all throughout the short film, Destino, and the Broadway play, Sunday in the Park with George, by showing how one can stay true to themselves despite social norms, how one is forced to conform to social norms within society, and the struggle of attempting to remain true to oneself despite conformity around them. Is it always in one’s best interest to conform to these social norms?

Conformity is when someone changes their behaviour or beliefs due to social pressure. This usually results from peer or media pressure. Compliance is when we change our behaviour but not our opinion; we often do this when requested by someone in a position of power. Internalisation is when there is a change in our behaviour and opinion and we internalise another person’s opinions and views.

At a young age, parents tend to teach their child right from wrong. They teach you this to become responsible, so when your an adult you do not have to rely on them while making decisions. In George Orwell's Shooting an Elephant, we notice he wanted to do the right thing by not shooting the elephant but gave into peer pressure to fit in. The narrator felt the need he had to shoot the elephant because the people of Burma were frightened and he wanted to be their hero. Peer pressure can lead people to do bad things for what they think are good reasons but are actually not.

In society, conformity is very common to see in many different situations. It is seen in groups of friends,cultures, and even through strangers. It can be shown in numerous ways, positive or negative. Conform means to comply to rules or standards. Throughout life, conformity and its ideas are good for society because it creates companionship,organization,and tradition.

Social influence theory refers to the change in behavior caused due the influence from one person to another. This change may happen intentionally or unintentionally depending on the relationship of the person with his surrounding people and the society as a whole.