...How can we 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...
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...This study is aimed at understanding and observing rule compliance between men and women. It examines the gender difference in compliance and/or conversion with people placing their rubbish in provided bins within a food court environment, as hypothesised women were more likely to be compliant with disposing their rubbish. Social influence is vital to gage individual’s behaviour. There is long-standing evidence in social psychology that people strive for consistency within their attitudes, beliefs, and behaviour (Festinger, 1957). Therefore to uphold this level of consistency individuals must comply with the group or majorities attitudes, beliefs and behaviours. It is an important force keeping groups together and facilitating communication (Bond & Smith, 1996). Disposing of rubbish in a bin is a pro-environmental behaviour which can be categorised as a positive social norm. Social norms are defined as ‘rules and standards that are understood by members of a group, that guide and/or constrain social behaviour without the force of law’ (Cialdini & Trost, 1998). Adhering to these social rules is described in terms of conformity or adversely conversion. Various social norms can alter an individual’s response to a specific situation depending on their environment and individual gains from doing so. For example to judge whether a person will dispose of their rubbish one must account for their personal norms and perceived social norms within the culture. Cialdini et al....
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...Discuss cultural influence on gender role (8 mark + 16 marks) One trait of gender role that appears to be universal is division of labour. This is because in most cultures men are the breadwinners and women are the homemakers as they nurture the young and prepare food for the family. Munroe & Munroe did a cross-cultural study in which they found that every society has some division of labour between genders. This therefore suggest that gender role is biological rather than cultural as similar division of labour has been identified universally. A second characteristic of gender roles is aggressiveness displayed by males compared to females. Mead found that in all three cultures she studied in Papua New Guinea, men were more aggressive than women. Nonetheless, women were still more aggressive in some cultures than in others; which suggests that there is a degree of cultural relativism in gender roles. This, indicates that some behaviours are innate and universal but the way and degree in which its expressed are shaped by the culture in which they take place. Sex stereotype that each culture portrays affects gender roles. Williams and Best studies gender stereotype in 30 countries in a study containing 2,800 students as participants. They were given 300 adjectives and asked to decide whether each one was more associated with men or women. At a national scale it was conformed that there is a universal gender difference in which men were seen as “dominant, aggressive and...
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...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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...In our world, with unjust treatment to people of different race, age or gender. Preconceived opinions are not based on reason or actual experience but rather the oversimplified idea of a particular type of person. That is how our world perceives one another. Unfortunately stereotyping, prejudice and discrimination has been among us for decades. Sexism is the ideology that maintains that one sex is superior to the other and dominates most important areas in our social life, such as the work place. Although it doesn’t specify what gender is superior, in most cases the dominant is male. For years, women have been discriminated against and there are many reasons why. Some examples are social discrimination, legal discrimination, or gender discrimination....
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...FINAL ESSAY Your name Course Name Date 1. Describe the major hormonal changes that occur during adolescence. Describe girls’ reactions to menarche and boys’ reactions to spermarche during puberty. What factors influence the way adolescents respond? Describe the impact of puberty on parent–child interaction and the adaptive value of this change in adolescents’ relationships with their parents. Hormonal change is at its peak during adolescence and is a period of rapid psychological and physiological transformation. During puberty boys and girls sweat and their oil glands become more active. This will result in body odour and acne. They also get underarm and pubic hair in the body. The brain releases Gonadotropin – releasing hormone (GnRH) for stimulating pituitary gland. Pituitary gland is also known as the Master gland releases luteinizing hormones and follicle stimulating hormone. In boys, interstitial cell stimulating hormone and it stimulates interstitial cells to produce to from hormones in male organ of testicles. Both male and females have estrogens and androgen in their body in low level and after puberty, males begin to have more androgen including testosterone. In female they get more oestrogen as puberty crosses. Menarche is the first menstrual bleeding in a girl and her reaction to this event can be both emotional and physical. It is a sign of growing up and happens between the age of 9 and 15 years. The girls usually show stress, irritability and...
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...The study of sex and gender has been a great interest to not only psychologists but sociologists as well. Over the past few decades the definition of gender and sex have been considered as synonyms for each other. This is because the words have not been established correctly. Sex is defined as the biological and psychological characteristics that differentiate male and female. Gender is defined as a well-being influenced by social and cultural beliefs. Previously in-depth research has been done based on gender and sex differences but very few are based on the current evolutions. This essay will further look into the factors involved in differentiating sex and gender as well as further development of them. Three main factors are involved in...
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...of credit cards, cash or checks had been reduced due to the advancement of technology and emergence of e-Wallet. E-Wallet is an easy-to-use, convenient electronic prototype which acts as a secure global payment system by using only a mobile smartphone. This study is directed towards developing a model to explain the consumer's’ intention to adopt e-Wallet in the social context. It adopts Consumer Need for Uniqueness Theory based on the concept of Counter-Conformity Motivation (CCM) also known as Need For Uniqueness. Many researchers had explored the relationship of consumer’s intention to adopt on the technological usage context. However, little research in social context had been carried out. Therefore, this paper aims to examine the factors affecting the consumer adoption intention in social context. This paper found that CCM, self-identity and word-of-mouth (WOM) are the salient determinants in this study of knowledge of consumer adoption intention in e-Wallet. Keywords: e-Wallet, intention to adopt, counter-conformity motivation, need for uniqueness 1.0 Introduction According to the historical evidence, the first use of money is assumed to have started around 600 BC in term of coins (Davies and Davies, 2002). However, the world is evolving, due to the rapid change in technology. Most of the consumers have changed their ways of making bill payment. E-Wallet is the latest trend and phenomenon as the outcome of technology advancement (Patel,V, 2016). Not only that, Doan...
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...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...
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...with the normative expectations of that genre in mind, it is interesting to see how cinematic expectations have changed, for example, to see how boiled-oatmeal coupled with camera tricks could pass off as a heat-ray’s effect then. However, a judgment regarding the proximity to reality between past and present visual effects can be passed while avoiding anachronisms. Hence, where hyper-real elements – successful exaggerations of reality where representation fades into reality – that are achieved through special effects become backgrounded items not to be focused on, the other aspects of film like theme and plot can become foregrounded within the framework of Science-fiction genre. What are some of the film’s key similarities to (and/or differences from) other films screened (or discussed) in the class? Many critics have understood and identified the...
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...ANTHROPOLOGY 101 Introduction to Cultural Anthropology Queens College / CUNY, Spring 2015 TuTh 12:15-1:30PM, Kiely 150 Professor: Ramona Lee Pérez, PhD Email: ramona.perez@qc.cuny.edu Office hours: Th 2-3 PM, PH 315H COURSE DESCRIPTION This course is an introduction to the range of human diversity through an exploration of the peoples of the world. We will cover the basic concepts, theories, and methods that anthropologists use to study variations in cultural norms and social practices, economic systems and rules of law, social organization and patterns of inequality, identity and worldview, and patterns of social and cultural change. Focusing on the culture concept and the method of ethnography, we begin with the historical foundations of anthropology and then follow its attempts to understand contemporary human cultures. Comparative analysis of multiple ethnographic case studies and major theoretical approaches illuminates the range of human diversity, the forces that shape cultures, and how people adapt to a rapidly changing modern world. The central objectives of this course are to develop your intellectual skills, your cross-cultural fluency, and your sense of civic and moral engagement in global society. I hope that this course inspires many of you to become anthropology majors or minors, and grants each of you an anthropological perspective on your own life. REQUIREMENTS This is an intensive course that requires full participation from every student...
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...Influence of Conformity and Obedience “Social influence broadly encompasses any changes on beliefs, attitudes, or behavior that result from interpersonal interaction” (Fiske, 2010). Humans are known as social beings that live together forming diversity of groups forming and improving relationships within their groups. Social influence, which is very natural, is the result of communication and interaction in between groups. Conformity and obedience are concepts that support the analysis of social influence. Conformity and obedience both can persuade and change an individual(s) thoughts, actions, and behaviors. They also can change the individual(s) views of others within the community, culture and/or ethic group. In this paper I will discuss the issues of conformity and obedience; I will compare and contrast the concepts of conformity and obedience, analyze a classical study concerning the effect of group influence on the self, analyze a contemporary example of the effect that group influence has on the self and analyze individual and societal influences that lead to deviance from dominant group norms. Compare and contrast the concepts of conformity and obedience. Conformity is an important concept of social influence for it increases individuals or groups sense of belonging and self-esteem. Conformity is clearly observed when people are in groups that pressures individuals to say or do things that they normally would not do to be compatible with the group, to fit in...
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.......................................................................... Specification requirements Social psychology Candidates will be expected to demonstrate: • Knowledge and understanding of concepts, theories and studies in relation to individual differences • Skills of analysis, evaluation and application in relation to individual differences • Knowledge and understanding of research methods associated with this area of psychology • Knowledge and understanding of ethical issues associated with this area of psychology. |Content outline | |Social influence |Conformity (majority influence) and explanations of why people conform, including informational | | |social influence and normative social influence | | | | | |Types of conformity, including internalisation and compliance | | | | | |Obedience...
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...Discuss the errors in attribution Attribution= how people interpret and explain casual relationships in the world Attribution theory= ways in which people explain the behavior of others, or themselves with something else. Faulty assumptions, individuals attribute events. Situational= causality on external factor. Dispositional= causality on internal factor. Fundamental Attribution theory Tendency to over value dispositional factors, undermining situational explanations. Promotes understanding of common errors in explanation. Culturally biased and low in ecological validity. Jones and Harris (1967) Aim: investigate whether people would attribute behvaiors which people had a choice in disposition. Procedure: sample of university students read political student essays that were either pro or anti Fidel Castro. Told some writers freely chose be the pro or anti others were assigned determined by a coin toss. Participants asked to rate how pro/anti the attitudes of the writers were. Findings: participants believed writers freely chose= rated people who spoke in favor have a more positive attitude towards Castro (dispositional). Determined by coin toss= write in pro= more positive. Participants unable to see the influence of situational restraints placed upon writers could not refrain from dispositional belief even though participants were randomly assigned. Evaluation: lead to further research, all American sample, and question ecological validity. Suedfeld (2003) ...
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...institutionalization of heterosexual norms or standards and founded on the ideology that all people are or should be heterosexual, which privileges heterosexuals and heterosexuality, while excluding the needs, concerns, cultures, and the life experiences of lesbians, gay males, bisexuals, pansexuals, and asexuals. Pansexuals: people who reject the sex/gender binary, and who find that gender and sex are irrelevant in influencing whether they will be sexually, emotionally, and romantically attracted to others, they are attracted to people regardless of their gender and sex. Religious endorsement for heterosexuality * People cite religious texts to support the social norms of heterosexuality * Religious denominations have worked hard to end oppression toward a number of groups, including those who transgress heterosexual norms, religious textual passages * Religious textual passages have been used to justify the construction and maintenance of the institution of slavery, the persecution and murder of Jews, male domination over and denial of rights of women, adult domination and persecution of young people, denial of rights, gender non-conformity Medical model supports for heterosexuality * Medical and psychological professions have often proposed and addressed, in starkly medical language, the alleged “deficiencies” of, for example, gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender people, as well as peoples of color, people who are differently-abled, youth and elders. * Homosexuality...
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