...Social norms are customs that we are conditioned to percieve as ordinary. Social norms have their pupose in our society. One can look at social norms as being favorable or unfavorable. I personally think that social norms are often a positive thing as they help keep us in order. For this paper I decided to violate a social norm that is derived from folkways. Folways are common demeanors related to rituals and triditions of a certain society. The norm that I choose to violate for this paper required me to cut into the middle of a line by myelf and stay in line for atleast 2 minutes. I decided to violate this social norm on the campus of Queensborough Commnity Colloge, in the cafeteria located in the science building. I choose this specific...
Words: 886 - Pages: 4
...Everyday, people conform to social norms in order to be accepted into a certain group or society. Although everyone conforms to social standards, not everyone realizes that they do. However, one might register this social conformity if they simply ask themselves the question, “why do I act the way I do?”. For example, when teenagers are surrounded by their peers, they might find it acceptable to drink alcohol and use profanity. On the other hand, when in a school setting, teenagers would not find this behavior acceptable because they are surrounded by authority figures. Therefore, behavior that is acceptable in one setting is not tolerable in another. Consequently, the tolerability of certain behaviors differs upon the setting and can be influenced...
Words: 821 - Pages: 4
...[pic] Definition “Conformity is a type of social influence in which individuals change their attitudes, beliefs or behaviours to adhere to existing social norms” Baron et al, 2006 Explanation of social norms (you must learn this for small mark answer) ➢ Social norms are one of the key causes of why people conform to the majority view. ➢ Social norms (group norms) are the standard rules of behaviour for individuals in any given society/culture. ➢ Unspoken rules develop spontaneously, unconsciously usually through force of habit and if you do not conform to these rules you will be excluded… ➢ For example, behaviour at a bus stop, the type of clothes that are popular, the type of drinks to be drinking, the type of music to listen to, the places to travel in the world Jenness (1932) The first informal experimental study of conformity where participants were asked to estimate how many beans the bottle contained. When asked for a group estimate they almost all changed their individual guesses closer to the group estimate. This persisted when asked again individually. They conformed. NB: Remember for every study in this topic and obedience try to give a methodological and ethical issue (or advantage) for each study |Methodological issues |Ethical issues | | ...
Words: 3763 - Pages: 16
...Social influences affects people’s views of one another. Children’s peers, media and family all play a huge role in social influence and prejudice. Prejudice can be easily developed by an arise of social influence and conformity to people within their in-group. Intergroup prejudice is unwarranted feelings of dislike or hatred towards the members of other social groups. In The psychology of prejudice: Interdisciplinary perspectives on contemporary issues by Dale Russell, He focuses on the development of children’s intergroup prejudice with an emphasis of the involvement the children have in social peer groups. And what he found was peer group membership is exceedingly important to young children, at least from as young as three years. If there is a possibility of being accepted and included in a group, most children will seek to be included (Russell & Russell, 2012). Consistent with social identity development theory which is a...
Words: 683 - Pages: 3
...character and personality to another that is socially accepted and perceived as “normal” in a situation or group. Social norms are implicit, unsaid rules shared by a group of individuals that guide their interactions with others. Conformity is the tendency to align your attitudes, beliefs, and behaviors with those around you. It’s a powerful force that can take the form of direct or overt social pressure or subtler unconscious influence. Three reasons why people conform are social pressure or norms (normative social influence), the need to look right or not foolish (informational social influence), and the desire for security within a group often of a similar age, culture, religion, ethical values, or educational status. People of any age conform to some standard. Three factors that can increase the likelihood of a person consciously or unconsciously conforming might be the characteristics of the situation, low self-esteem or doubt in his or her abilities, or social pressure to fit in with a unanimous group. People are more likely to conform in ambiguous situations where they are not sure how to respond. There are several instances of conformity that I notice on a daily basis. Religious and cultural beliefs shared amongst people is an example of conformity. A more specific example of conformity would be stopping at a red light or stop sign when you are traveling to conform to societies socially accepted rules of safe driving. People in the workplace wear clothes according to the...
Words: 277 - Pages: 2
...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 behavior of individuals...
Words: 2995 - Pages: 12
...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...
Words: 4418 - Pages: 18
...PSYCHOLOGY 260 SHORT WRITING ASSIGNMENT #3 SOCIAL NORMS In society today, many people act accordingly to social norms which is generally “implicit or explicit rules a group has for acceptable behaviours” (Aronson, Wilson, Fehr, Akert, 2013). If an individual acts defiantly towards expected behaviours, most of the other people would tend to isolate or reject that individual. In part of my violation of the social norm, I had worn flip-flops with socks the entire Thursday out in public to interpret people’s reactions. This social norm is referred to a descriptive norm, considering that this “behaviour is approved or disapproved of by others” (Aronson et al. 2013). This day was like any other regular Vancouver day, it consisted of rain. It became abundantly clear that the social norm for that day would require an individual to have shoes on. Besides the social context that it is generally uncomfortable walking with your socks drenched in water, some people believe that wearing flip-flops with socks altogether is despicable, and unacceptable social behaviour. As I walk through the school, I began to notice a lot more people looked at me when I walked by, compared to the usual nil before. To my senses, these stares felt nothing like acceptance, but felt more related to exclusion. This was understandable, as groups tend to use “social exclusion as effective ways to enforce normative behaviour” (Whitson, Wang, Kim, Cao, Scrimpshire, 2013). It wasn’t until after school, that...
Words: 629 - Pages: 3
...TITLE: outline and assess sociological explanations for gender difference in patterns of crime. What is the relationship between crime and masculinity? Crime can be described as an act that harmful to an individual as well as the society; such acts are against and punishable by the law. While deviance can be described as acting against social norms, for example a boy wearing a skirt would be out of place in the society The sex role theory states that, when young males and females are younger they socialise in different ways, resulting in young males being more reckless and neglectful. There are several sociologist and different versions of the sex theory. Edwin Sutherland stated that the gender difference when it comes to socialisation is very obvious. Girls are treated with more supervision and control, while boys are treated not as strict as the girls and are emboldened to take more risk to be tough, which makes boys more inclined and a higher tendency of committing crimes. Talcott parsons believes that there are clear gender roles in a nuclear family, where the father performs the instrumental role which portrays him as a leader and provider, while the mother performs the expressive role of providing emotional support and talking of the children. For girls, because their female role model who is their mother is always available unlike for boys who don’t not have as much access to the male figure in their lives (the father) because traditionally the father would be at work...
Words: 1405 - Pages: 6
...What is Conformity? Conformity is a type of social influence involving a change in belief or behavior in order to fit in with a group. This change is in response to real (involving the physical presence of others) or imagined (involving the pressure of social norms / expectations) group pressure. Conformity can also be simply defined as “yielding to group pressures” (Crutchfield, 1955). Group pressure may take different forms, for example bullying, persuasion, teasing, criticism, etc. Conformity is also known as majority influence (or group pressure). The term conformity is often used to indicate an agreement to the majority position, brought about either by a desire to ‘fit in’ or be liked (normative) or because of a desire to be correct (informational), or simply to conform to a social role (identification). Jenness (1932) was the first psychologist to study conformity. His experiment was an ambiguous situation involving a glass bottle filled with beans. He asked participants individually to estimate how many beans the bottle contained. Jenness then put the group in a room with the bottle, and asked them to provide a group estimate through discussion. Participants were then asked to estimate the number on their own again to find whether their initial estimates had altered based on the influence of the majority. Jenness then interviewed the participants individually again, and asked if they would like to change their original estimates, or stay with the group's...
Words: 984 - Pages: 4
...criminal offenses, but usually refrain from such behaviour because of fear and social constraint. The control theory is used to explain as to why people don’t engage in other deviant behaviours. This is an act that deviates from the norms and value set by the society. Hirschi, a criminologist view of social control is the assumption that persons will engage in delinquent behaviour when their "social bond" to society is weakened. He shares a similar view to Durkheim which he state that social order is based on shared values and socialisation occurs through institution integrating into society. However, control theory takes the opposite approach from other theories in criminology. Instead, Hirschi want to explain as to why people do not commit crime. According to Hirschi, norms emerge to deter deviant behaviour, leading to conformity and groups. He believes that people will conform to a group when they believe they have more to gain from conformity than by deviance. Hirschi argued a person follows norms because they have a bond with society. These social bonds have four elements: opportunity, attachment, belief, and involvement. When any one of these bonds is weakened or broken a person is more likely to act in defiance. In Hirschi’s view, attachment measures our connection to others. When we are closely attached to people, we worry about their opinions of use therefore; people conform to society’s norm to gain approval from family and friends. Commitment refer to the investments...
Words: 568 - Pages: 3
...Ordinary Men Christopher Browning’s book, Ordinary Men: Reserve Police Battalion 101 and the Final Solution in Poland, examines how ordinary men in Reserve Police Battalion became such cruel, cold-blooded killers. During World War II, the Police Battalion 101 helped cleanse out Poland as part of the Final Solution. The Final Solution was Nazi Germany’s plan to execute all European Jews during the World War II. Most of the Battalion 101 were made up of working class or lower middle class from Hamburg area, with majority of them falling in the age between 37 to 42, which “would not seem to have been a very promising group from which to recruit mass murderers on behalf of the Nazi vision of a racial utopia free of Jews” (Browning, pg.48). As ordinary as the men of the Battalion 101 were, the question remains how most men in the Battalion became killers and what caused this behavior. Browning cities several theories to how such ordinary men could commit such atrocities, such as “wartime brutalization, racism, segmentation, and routinization of the task, special selection of the perpetrators, careerism, obedience to orders, deference to authority, ideological indoctrination, and conformity” (Browning, pg.159). Out of these theories, conformity is the most important reason how the ordinary men in the Police Battalion 101 became killers. The Reserve Police Battalion 101 was a group of ordinary men from Hamburg, with most men not having any experience in any kind of military...
Words: 1182 - Pages: 5
...Influences of Conformity and Obedience Jamie Tyler University of Phoenix Social Psychology Psych555 Prof. Kimberly Kinsey May 7, 2012 Influences of Conformity and Obedience “Social influence broadly encompasses any changes on beliefs, attitudes, or behavior that result from interpersonal interaction” (Fiske, 2010). There are several concepts that aid in the analysis of social influence. Two of these concepts are conformity and obedience. Conformity is the influence of the majority on an individual and obedience is the influence authority has on subordinates. Conformity and obedience are related in the fact that they both have the ability to persuade an individual or group of individuals to change his or her thoughts, actions, and behaviors, regarding a particular situation. Conformity and obedience are also related in that they can change the way individuals view others within a certain community, culture, ethnic group or environment. This paper will evaluate the effect of group influence on the self using both classical and contemporary literature, compare and contrast concepts of conformity and obedience and analyze individual and societal influences that lead to deviance from group norms. Conformity and obedience are important factors in groups because they command members of a group to follow societal norms. Conformity is a needed concept of social influence because it can enhance members of a group sense of belonging, as well as, self esteem. Conformity can be...
Words: 1695 - Pages: 7
...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 kind or another. The conformity types of behaviour are called " Social norms" : . age groups . colleges and classes in colleges . people of same social economic background .women, men ...
Words: 2141 - Pages: 9
...into a complete and total nightmare. "Robert K. Merton developed the structural strain theory as an extension of the functionalist perspective on deviance." (Crossman, Ashley. "Structural Strain Theory." easybib.com. Web 08 Dec 2014.) This psychological theory by Merton implies that disorientation occurs when social norms collide or do not even exist. This psychological theory can be used to analyze this haunting tale of these disturbed children by the conformity, innovation, ritualism, retreatism and rebellion. Conformity occurs when people accept the culturally defined goals and the socially legitimate means of achieving them (Merton, Robert. Social Theory and social structure. New York. The Free Press. Web 08 May 2014). It indicates that individuals who fall under this beahavioral adaptation stated in this psychological theory are more apt to being swayed to a less traditional means of life. It is suggested that most individuals, even those who do not have easy access to the means and goals, remain conformists. Tensions brew amongst the two main characters Ralph and Jack as their views on the way things should be done differ and slowly, each supporting character conforms to one side or the other. The temptation of a new way of life has each character choosing between one side or the other. The understanding of responsibilities, objectives, and the way people should be treated are vastly different amongst Ralph...
Words: 469 - Pages: 2
