...‘THE CATCHER IN THE RYE’ AND ‘IGBY GOES DOWN’ – NON-CONFORMITY Both J.D Salinger’s 1951 Bildungsroman novel The Catcher in the Rye and Burr Steer’s film Igby Goes Down, demonstrate that regardless of context, the youth will choose not to conform to socially held values. We can see that this is the manifestation of the vulnerability and hesitation experienced as adolescents like us grow up. Ultimately both these texts explore the search for identity and individualism as a cause for non-conformity. The Catcher in the Rye was written during a post war era and a time of drastic social change. However, many of its conservative values remained and most importantly, the notion of youth conformity was held in high regard. On the other hand, Igby Goes Down is set in the 1980s -1990’s American era, a time of expanding multi national corporations, materialism and commercialism. Salinger and Steers utilise the characterisation of their young, sardonic and rebellious protagonists, Holden and Igby to epitomise non-conformity. The composers allude to the recurring theme of isolation and alienation in both texts. As a result of their non-conformity, the protagonists experience rejection and depression as they search for their selfhood. Similarly, the national ethos of the American Dream is explored as a mere fallacy, and both composers portray this through their protagonist’s wealthy backgrounds and opulent upbringings and yet money doesn’t bring them happiness. Salinger, through literary...
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...several social psychological concepts. The one concept that stood out to me the most during this time was our chapters and discussions about conformity. Conformity is when a person relents their own beliefs or actions to satisfy those surrounding them. In society, human beings feel forced to change their opinions and judgements in order to fit in and not be an outsider. This type of behavior can be seen in numerous environments from one’s own house hold to their everyday social life with friends. I recently started a show called Thirteen Reasons Why, which shows how conformity can end up ending a person’s life. Thirteen Reasons Why was the most captivating, brutally authentic show I have seen in a while. Within the shows context there was no alleviating, it was straightforward, unaltered and honest. It showed how student, especially high school students, societies struggle with their experiences during their time in and out of school. This show is surrounded by two High School students, Clay Jensen and Hannah Baker who inevitably committed suicide. However, before she died she recorded 13 tapes, connecting her death to thirteen different students that attend the same school. Hannah is certain to make sure that the thirteenth people know that she left behind an ally who plans to release the tapes if they do not follow as...
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...accepting them with a more open mind; I now want to examine the philosophical roots and the more psychologically significant events that he underwent during his life that justify his ideas. As one set of events happened, he’d be polarized in the direction of success in c of ma, but Malcolm X underwent sets of events in his life that caused him to bounce back and forth, radically so, between two juxtaposing constants—conformity and non-conformity. Though with most of his later life and political-religious endeavors he is largely rebelliouat I will pay close attention to. I will discuss these instances and how his personality served as proverbial gunpowder to the flames that were the rauses, I will argue that, throughout his life, he has steadily been climbing toward a psychological equilibrium. As each set of events shiftedemonstrated having multiple times throughout the book with every endeavor he sought was conducive to this process of polarization. The first instance of consolidated identity that we see in Malcolm X’s book is the setting when Malcolm was in grade school. Malcolm excelled in classwork and popular standing and was seemingly immune to the effects of ‘innocent’ name-calling on the part of his white peers. They were consistently pointing out that he was indeed an African-American, in not so kind words, but he didn’t mind at all and just identified with...
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...prevailing social norms. The emphasis in these theories, unlike learning theories, is on the factors that bond individuals to conforming lifestyles. The bonds act as social and psychological constraints on the individual, binding persons to normative conformity (Toby 1957; Hirschi 1969). People deviate from norms when these bonds to conventional lifestyles are weak, and hence, when they have little restraining influence over the individual. Among control theorists, Travis Hirschi (1969) has made the greatest contributions to our knowledge about bonding processes and deviant behavior. Writing on the causes of delinquency, he argued that four aspects of bonding are especially relevant to control theory: emotional attachments to conforming others, psychological commitments to conformity, involvements in conventional activities, and beliefs consistent with conformity to prevailing norms. Among the most important of the bonding elements are emotional attachments individuals may have to conforming others and commitments to conformity—psychological investments or stakes people hold in a conforming lifestyle. Those having weak attachments—that is, people who are insensitive to the opinions of conforming others— and who have few stakes in conformity, in the form of commitments to occupation or career and education, are more likely than others to deviate (see, e.g., Paternoster et al. 1983; Thornberry and Christenson 1984; Liska and Reed 1985). In effect, these individuals are ‘‘free’’ from...
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...normal day to day life, whether that is going to work, going to school, staying at home, or doing whatever that day. Most of us have some type of social interaction on a daily basis and depending on what your day consist of dictates the type of social influences around us. We all have our own thoughts, feelings and actions, but when we are around other people those same thoughts, feelings and actions could be different. When you are at work the atmosphere is professional and work related, but if you are out with friends having some fun the atmosphere is more party like. The change in social influences dictates our behavior and what we deem to be appropriate. Social influence is defined as “the process wherein one person's attitudes, beliefs, or behaviors are changed as a result of interaction with another individual or with a group” (Stavrositu 2011). Social Behaviors There are various types of social behaviors that people exhibit depending on the influences around us. These influences can be conformity, the act of matching our attitude, beliefs and behaviors with a group of people. Conformity is when we would adapt what the culture deems normal and include that into our daily lives even when alone. Peer pressure is the influence put on us by a peer group or any individual to change our attitude, beliefs, or behaviors. Peer pressure is most common in children and the influences they are under at school. There is also obedience which is where a person will yield to...
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...School Uniforms Should be Mandatory Michele Rasmussen College Author Note This research is being submitted on March 4, 2015, for Rebecca Moore’s English G124 English Composition course. Students enrolled in public schools should be required to wear uniforms. For many years students have not liked wearing uniforms however, uniforms help create a disciplined atmosphere and therefore it should be implemented in schools that currently do not require uniforms. According to Happel, the addition of uniform to the regulations of public schools is viewed as a method for improving the overall school environment and student achievement (Happel, 2012). School districts should require students to wear uniforms because it will diminish the chance of humiliation, certain clothes can be distracting, and it teaches discipline and conformity. Wearing uniforms is a practical way to weaken the chance of humiliation in a school environment. According to Han, implementing a uniform policy contributes to improving students sense of belonging and developing student pride in their school (Han, 2010). While most private schools already have established a particular uniform to be worn within their schools at all times, and public schools remain liberal and only have a lesser dress code. Public schools tend to have a diverse student population from different cultural backgrounds and socioeconomic status. Some students and their families can afford to purchase fashionable and...
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...Argument for Public School Uniforms Sydney Slifka University of Colorado Denver School uniforms have created a debate to whether or not they are an effective addition to a school environment and to individual students themselves. Over the last decade, uniforms in public schools have increased, bringing a great deal of controversy along with them. With this public controversy there have been lawsuits, increased media attention, criticism from parents and complaints from students as well as increased academic research. There have been many recent studies done that offer evidence that school uniforms have been effective in many different ways. The purpose of this paper is to argue in favor of the implementation of school uniforms in our public education system by addressing these different articles and studies on the implementation of school uniforms. Ann Bodine wrote an ethnography about a city in the United States and the introduction of school uniforms. In her article she writes about the introduction of school uniforms and how it intersects with different aspects of life. Bodine describes students’ clothing as a “screen on which are projected all kinds of beliefs, anxieties and aspirations about children” (2003, p. 60). Through her observations of people and their clothing she noticed that the concept of dress as a form of free speech is only a tiny part of the meaning they are actually trying to convey with their clothing. (p.67) Clothing is used to express identity...
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...honored nature versus nurture debate. The fundamental question in this issue is to what degree inborn biological processes do or environmental events determine human behavior. When we think of certain situations in which human behavior is changed we can think of the workplace. The first school experience is a major shaping event in a person’s behavioral patterns. This is where we as children start to interact with other children, and a new set of rules have to be followed. As we get older and transition to the socially dynamic high school environment we realize that there are going to be social problems that can arise, and certain human behavior that can come with the change of how we now have to act as people and as students. There are certain groups that most of us belonged to in high school, and we may realize that some of the people that we were friends with have no interest in us any longer as we get older and our preferences change. The process of stereotyping is common in high school. For instance, going into high school a student might loathe the “jock” type personalities. However, as they get older and realize that many of their friends want to take advantage of athletics in school their perspective might change. This can affect the...
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...are a few key reasons why we may not have seen as much conformity as Asch’s original experiment. Firstly, in our current society, originality and individualism are more valued. These have become an important trait that people value. Between the 1960’s and 2011, individualistic practices and values have increased 12 percent around the globe. In specific, the Western nations have been moving away from ideas that emphasize families values and fitting in, and moving towards more individualistic values such as personal choice, self-expression and independence (DePaulo). In school, we are taught to be confident in our answers, despite...
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...On the first day of class, Professor Michael asked us to write about our opinions on school uniforms. The question that was asked to the class was, “should public schools require students to wear uniforms?” The class listened as each person read their opinion and commented on the subject matter. On our first assignment, Professor Michael provided two articles that relate to the discussion, “Uniforms accord importance to scholarly pursuits” by Joanne McHugh and “They promote rigid conformity over independent thought” by Anndee Hochman from the The Philadelphia Inquirer. According to Joanne McHugh, student uniforms are beneficial. She expressed that kids dress more for leisure activities instead of business casual, which would not prepare them for the future. McHugh felt that uniforms can help educate students on how to properly dress, since they lack positive role models who could show them proper attire for the various occasions. She expressed another benefit for enforcing uniforms in the school environment is the elimination of social status among students. In addition, uniforms can benefit adults too. McHugh stated uniforms can benefit parents financially, allowing them to save money because they will not need to purchase school clothes during the year. The author Anndee Hochman discussed the limitations and discomfort that uniforms can cause young ladies. She said, since most uniforms have the girls wearing skirts, abolishing the uniform policies would allow them...
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...could not be two settings more dissimilar than a men’s mental institution, and a boy’s private school. However, both texts are set in heavily instituonalised arenas, where the individuals within the communities have had their independence and freedom stolen by overpowering figures of authority. Although the setting of the two institutions is contradictory in various ways; the warm, bricked and neat academy against the blinding white hospital walls; the oppression and rigidity between the two is evident. Both pieces introduce an...
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...Conformity and Self Efficacy Have you ever been at a social gathering and acted in a particular way in order to fit in? This is called conformity; according to professor McAuliff, “it means a change in behaviors or beliefs due to real or imagined group pressure.” Conformity occurs all the time, whether we are aware of it or not. There are three forms of conformity. The first form is compliance, the second form is obedience, and last but certainly not least, the third form is acceptance. This subject matter relates to me because these three types of conformity have happened to me on numerous occasions; each time with a lack of awareness. The first type of conformity is compliance, this being defined as when a person is publicly agreeing with...
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...observers or individual exerts that encourages others to change their attitudes, values, or behaviors to conform the group norms. Social groups affected include membership groups, in which individuals are "formally" members (such as political parties and trade unions), or social cliques in which membership is not clearly defined. A person affected by peer pressure may or may not want to belong to these groups. They may also recognize dissociative groups with which they would not wish to associate, and thus they behave adversely concerning that group's behaviors.[citation needed] Contents [hide] 1 In Youth 2 Asch conformity 3 The Third Wave 4 Neural mechanisms 5 Explanation 6 References In Youth[edit] Peers become an important influence on behavior during adolescence, and peer pressure has been called a hallmark of adolescent experience.[1][2] Peer conformity in young people is most pronounced with respect to style, taste, appearance, ideology, and values.[3] Peer pressure is commonly associated with episodes of adolescent risk taking (such as delinquency, drug abuse, sexual behaviors,[4] and reckless driving) because these activities commonly occur in the company of peers.[2] Affiliation with friends who engage in risk behaviors has been shown to be a strong predictor of an adolescent's own behavior.[5] Peer pressure can also have positive effects when youth are pressured by their peers toward positive behavior, such as volunteering for charity [6] or excelling in academics...
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...Consequences To Conformity, Compliance and Obedience Pertaining to Social Pressure Social Influence and Groups "Social influence is the process by which the actions of an individual or group affect the behavior of others" (Feldman, 2013). Many people know from their own experiences the undeniable pain, as well as changes in behavior, that is experienced by submitting to these type pressures, that otherwise, never would have resulted. Social pressures cause people to conform, comply, and obey. Furthermore, these actions and behaviors can have severe negative affects to our personal relationships, which will be address in the following paragraphs. Conformity: Following What Others Do Conformity can be defined as a change in behavior and attitudes that happens because of a need to follow other people (Feldman, 2013). Frequently, people conform to peers and social pressure because of their psychological need to be accepted. Everyone wants to feel loved and accepted. However, when this acceptance comes at the dangerous cost of conforming to social groups, changes occur that are sometimes not thought out and/or unexpected (Encyclopedia for Marriage and Family, 2003). For example, many times people lose their individuality and will not grow as a person because they do not feel they can voice their own thoughts and opinions. This is for fear that in so doing, they will go against their peer groups and become unaccepted. This type conformity usually begins during adolescents...
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...Affirmative Action and Social Psychology Tamara Hill PSY11017VA016-1134001(Social Psychology) Profess. Jason Hamilton June 08, 2012 Bottom of Form Over the years there are a number of laws that have been put in place that has shaped society and paved the way for many to succeed. The Affirmative Action Law is one of the laws that were established to provide an equal playing field in many environments such as schools, employment, businesses and our daily lives in society. For many years there have been unrepresented groups that experienced discrimination during times of enrollment into schools, on the job promotions and even when trying to receive bank loans to start up his or her own business. Since the establishment of Affirmative Action in 1961it has paved the way to ensure that unrepresented groups are represented throughout society as we know it today. This law has been amended several times to ensure that no minority group is unrepresented in any circumstance. In the 1960’s Affirmative Action in the United States was used as a tool to address the persistent discrimination against African Americans. This specific term was first used to describe US government policy in 1961. President John F. Kennedy in 1961 mandated "affirmative action to ensure that applicants are employed, and that employees are treated equally during employment, without regard to their race, creed, color, or national origin (Peters...
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