Conformity and Obedience Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

unison and Obedience - Essay ExampleAfter a time he told them all to drink a mixture of Cool-aid (a grape flavored soft drink) and cyanide, as well as various other drugs. Most obeyed him, and those who didnt told of p atomic number 18nts scratch line giving the drink to their children, before themselves. (Melton, J. Gordon, The Peoples Temple and Jim Jones Broadening Our Perspectives)1. The conformity to norms is often quite unconscious. It has been internalized (learned well), probably in early childhood. Our societal norms are seldom doubted instead, we take them as breachns, as the way things are. The learning is support throughout life by the validity of the norm -- i.e. it works because it is the norm.2. But sometimes we choose, consciously, to conform, as when we unite a group voluntarily. We adopt certain norms because the group is attractive to us and we identify with the group and its grade or goal. In its more dramatic forms, this is called conversion.3. In other ca ses, we conform because we are forced to, i.e. we are conscious of our conformity but it seems a lot less voluntary. This is often called compliance, and it can be brought on by anything from a gun to the head or the promise of candy. In other words, it is conformity cod to the sanctions the society or group has in effect. 4. But most of what we call conformity in the investigate literature concerns something somewhat conscious and not quite voluntary. It is usually brought on by social concern -- fear of embarrassment, discomfort at confusion, a sense of inferiority, a desire to be liked, and so on. I think it should be called defensive conformity. Solomon Asch and his students have conducted the basic research on this kind of conformity call back that a person, A has volunteered for a psychology experiment, and he shows up at the lab at the promised time. thither is a table with four chairs around it, three already occupied by other students. So A takes the last chair and prep ares himself for some kind of psychological bizarreness. Finally, the experimenter comes in carrying two stacks of rather large cardboard cards. He introduces himself and thanks you for volunteering and begins to explain One set of cards, as evidenced by the top card, shows three lines at a time, each line of a different length. The other set shows one line at a time. The task is called line-length judgment and looks to be very easy redden from a distance, the line among the three that matches the single line is very clear. The experiment begins. The experimenter points at the first student. He looks at the lines, hems and haws a bit... and chooses the wrong match Oh well, theres one in every crowd. The experimenter just nods sagely to himself. He points at the second volunteer, and he too hems and haws... and chooses the wrong line Now A begins to feel a bit uncomfortable. The experimenter points at the third person -- your last chance -- and he, too, chooses the obviously wrong a nswer. Now its As turn. organism a person of integrity, you clearly announce the correct answer -- at which point, all three volunteers and the experimenter give you a look like youre from outer space. The experimenter reveals the second card of