TYPES OF SOCIAL CONFORMITY
Cultural Context in Conformity/ Non-Conformity
1) COMPLIANCE (NORMATIVE CONFORMITY)
- publicly accepts the view/opinion of others, but privately disagrees with it
- conforms because he/she is afraid of rejection from the group
- e.g. Asch's Line Experiment
2) INTERNALIZATION (INFORMATIONAL CONFORMITY)
- occurs when an individual has insufficient knowledge and as a result, the person yields to the group for guidance
- it also occurs when someone is in an ambiguous situation and they compare their actions with the rest of the group
- e.g. Sherif's Experiment
3) INGRATIATIONAL CONFORMITY
- the person conforms to receive acceptance and/or to impress others
- motivated by social rewards
4) IDENTIFICATION
- conforms to expectations of a social role
- similar to idea of compliance, but the person does not have to change their private opinion
The View on Tattoos
- BEFORE: for cultural purposes (part of their culture), used for identification and communicating w/ other spies (e.g. Ancient Greece), indication of status in the community (the more the tattoos, the higher the status), were seen as rebellious and unprofessional in western view; likely to be linked with criminal behaviour.
- NOW: for pleasure, for sentimental reasons, to gain popularity or trying to fit in.
Men with Long Hair and Women with Short Hair
- BEFORE: in past Western views, long hair was seen as feminine and short hair was seen as masculine. During the Roaring 20's, short hair became attributed with the swinger lifestyles which was looked down upon by much of the older generation (represented "loose" or promiscuous women).
- NOW: short hair and long hair is represented by a multitude of both women and men. The popularity of both styles have coined terms like the pixie cut and the "man bun". They are also now viewed as fashionable and "in the now".
Engaging in Activities Before Marriage
- BEFORE: in the past, the idea of the "pure" bride was chased by both men and women. This belief stemmed from both religious and societal beliefs of the time. It was viewed as the responsibility of a women to remain pure her husband; and for the man their motivation to remain celibate either came from personal values or religious morals.
- NOW: the idea of celibacy is still upheld by many even in these modern times. However, some have come to lose value in the sex before marriage ideal and take a different route. Both men and women are more open to going against this belief especially in a society where sexual propaganda is consistently being perpetuated through different forms of media.
Positive and Negative Impacts on Society: Non-Conformity
Cons
Pros
- Abundance of diversity
- Non-Conformity breeds thinkers and innovators
- Pushes the boundaries (gender, stereotypes, etc.)
- Eradicates the "bystander effect"
- Tends to isolate or "blackball" the individual from society or use them as scapegoats
- More likely to foster rule breakers, who disrupt harmony in a society
- May eliminate empathy as the individual ideal cares more about themselves than the well-being of a group
Men signed up or were conscripted with the promise of defending their country for a short period of time
Historical Examples of the Pros and Cons of Conformity
Pro
World War 1(1914-1918): Though war isn't necessarily a positive thing, it displays one of the greatest examples of conformity through patriotism and nationalism. They also became involved upon the ideal of honour and integrity. At the home front, women started to do all the factory jobs that men once had. This fostered the idea of women being more than just their domestic values and responsibilities, which turned into a non-conformist/ conformist movement on its own.
According to various psychologists, these are the factors that affect conformity:
Summary
Article
This article is about Ontario's new sex-ed curriculum and the variety of reactions and backlash garnered from its implementation. Some are more inclined to agree with the new curriculum as it has not been updated since 1998. They also see it as a necessity due to the influence of technology and social media and the continuous instances of cyber-bullying. The opposing view is that the new content is way too mature for the students and want a reconsideration. This article is an example of conformity in Canada as the curriculum will still be used regardless of the backlash. It calls for parents to either conform to these new rules/values or to go against the set Canadian societal norms and refuse the new curriculum. Or vice versa, conform to what previous conservative beliefs
teach.
Con
Nazi Germany (1933): "the Nazis were a German Political Party which turned into a mass movement and ruled Germany. The Germans saw how Hitler was treating the Jews, and they admired his speeches. Whatever Hitler had ordered, his followers would obey his commands, without thinking of what they were actually doing. The Nazis thought that by doing all this, they would benefit by having superior power. Hitler was trying to control the minds of the German youth which he successfully accomplished. Adolf Hitler once said: "Make the lie big, make it simple, keep saying it, and eventually they will believe it (Hitler)."
WHAT IS NON-CONFORMITY?
What Do You Think This Picture Represents?
BIBLIOGRAPHY cont'd...
BIBLIOGRAPHY cont'd...
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Same-sex couples and sexual orientation... by the numbers. (n.d.). Retrieved December 12, 2015,
from,
http://www.statcan.gc.ca/eng/dai/smr08/2015/smr08_203_2015#a3
Bibliography
CONFORMITY IS THE INCLINATION TO ALIGN YOUR ATTITUDES, BELIEFS, AND BEHAVIOUR WITH THOSE AROUND YOU (also known as "MAJORITY INFLUENCE")
EX. WHEN AT A PARTY, PEOPLE ARE MORE INCLINED TO DRINK WHEN THEY SEE OTHERS DO IT AS WELL AS A WAY OF FITTING IN ("SOCIAL DRINKING")
REFUSAL OR FAILURE TO CONFORM TO ACCEPTED STANDARDS, CONVENTIONS, RULES, OR LAWS.
EX. THE SYRIAN REFUGEE CRISIS: THE MASS MAJORITY DISAGREE TO BRINGING THEM TO CANADA, YET SELECT GROUPS GO AGAINST THIS BELIEF AND ENCOURAGE THE MOVE.
HeroicImaginationTV. (2012, Feb 19). Asch conformity experiment [Video file]. Retrieved December 12, 2015, from,
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NyDDyT1lDh A
History Of Tattoos. (n.d.). History of tattoos Retrieved December 12, 2015, from,
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http://www.simplypsychology.org/asch-conformity.html
Montes, L. (2013, November 25). Individuality vs. conformity. Retrieved December 12, 2015, from,
https://prezi.com/t6hafnbxj2ha/individuality-vs-conformity/
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Positive and Negative Impacts on Society: Conformity
- People are ridiculed if they express their unique ideas
- Can sometimes conflict with religious beliefs
- It can force a person to be someone who they are not
- "Just following orders": conformity can create an unjust world as some rules that need to be challenged
- Everyone is "accepted" regardless of their individual characteristics
- Better communication: everyone is able determine what their roles are in the society.
- Less crime. If everyone conforms to the rules of society there would be no need to break the predetermined laws.
- Protection: "there is strength in numbers".
13 Pros and Cons of Conformity in Society. (2015, August 1). Retrieved December 12, 2015, from,
http://healthresearchfunding.org/13-pros-and-cons-of-conformity-in-society/
Benzie, R. (2015, February 23). New sex-ed curriculum gets mixed reviews from parents | Toronto Star. Retrieved December 12, 2015, from,
http://www.thestar.com/news/queenspark/2015/02/23/ontario-finally-unveils-revamped-sex-education-curriculum.html
Cherry, K. (2014, December 16). What are collectivistic cultures? Retrieved December 12, 2015, from,
http://psychology.about.com/od/cindex/fl/What-Are-Collectivistic-Cultures.html
EXCLUSIVE: Canada has enough problems, refugee opponents say: Poll - CityNews. (2015, December 9). Retrieved December 12, 2015, from,
http://www.citynews.ca/2015/12/09/exclusive-canada-has-enough-problems-refugee-opponents-say-poll/
EXCLUSIVE: Canadians concerned Syrian refugees getting preferential treatment. (2015, December 10). Retrieved December 12, 2015, from,
http://www.citynews.ca/2015/12/10/exclusive-canadians-concerned-syrian-refugees-getting-preferential-treatment/
Farlex. (n.d.). Non-conformity. Retrieved December 10, 2015, from,
http://www.thefreedictionary.com/nonconformity
HISTORY OF CONFORMITY
A. Jenness was the first known psychologist to study the concept of conformity in 1932.
- Experiment: asking participants to guess the number of beans in a jar
- Result: people changed their minds once they heard the response of other participants
SUB-TOPICS
CURRENT ISSUES: CONFORMITY
Statistics of Current Issues
- 54% of 1,369 Canadians polled by City News said that they were concerned about Syrian refugees getting "preferential treatment" from the immigration offices.
- 44% believed that Canada has enough problems & didn't need refugees to add to that.
- 39% thought that the Syrian refugees were terrorist threats
- At least 3% of Canadians said they were either gay, lesbian, or bisexual (2014, Canadian Census).
- Made up 1% in 2011
- The first Canadian census to take same-sex couples into account was the census of 2001, where they made up only 0.5% of the population.
- Industry Canada reports that their sales went up by 25% after selling plus-sized clothing
- 1 in 4 Canadians are obese (2011-2012)
- According to a 2002 survey, 1.5% of Canadian women aged 15–24 years had an eating disorder
BIBLIOGRAPHY cont'd...
Conformity/Non-Conformity Between Western and Eastern Countries
- Smith & Bond (1998) found cultural differences between Western and Eastern countries. The results were that people from Western cultures tended to be more independent and self-sufficient and don't like to be seen as similar to others; less likely to conform
Compliance: social behaviour by an individual that may be contrary to his or her beliefs but is exhibited nonetheless in order to achieve rewards and avoid punishments. This would be on aspect of conformity in Western cultures, though still compliance and conformity differ.
- People from Eastern cultures value others needs before their own; more likely to conform
Collectivistic cultures: "emphasize the needs and goals of the group as a whole over the needs and wishes of each individual. In such cultures, relationships with other members of the group and the interconnectedness between people play a central role in each person's identity. Cultures in Asia, Central America, South America, and Africa tend to be more collectivistic".
The Chameleon Effect
- the mimicking of the body language of a person with whom we are interacting
- Chartrand & Bargh (1999) performed an experiment with 78 participants who interacted with confederates(part of the research team). When the confederates altered their body language to mimic that of the participant's, they scored higher on a survey that measure likeability.
- "The chameleon effect actually becomes a warm response that facilitates social interactions. Individuals usually do it almost instantly that they are not aware of it, and in most occasions, doing such really does increase their likeability. "Those who pay more attention mimic more," says Chartrand, and make more friends in the process".
Refusal to Accept Refugees
Causes: the war in Syria, Turkey, Jordan and various parts of the world, 9/11
Patterns and Trends: Vietnam refugee crisis, protests, propaganda
Accepting LGBTQ
Causes: "coming out" videos from influential celebrities, legalization of same sex marriage, Pride parades
Patterns and Trends: calls for more diversity (Hollywood), more presence on media outlets
Accepting Plus Sized People
Causes: redefining the ideal body shape ("the hourglass figure"), realization that the quest to have the "ideal body" (skinny) often lead to unhealthy habits and lifestyles (anorexia)
Patterns and Trends: wider variety of fashion choices for people of all shapes and sizes, the return of the corset to create that "full figured, curvy" look (smaller waist, bigger hips)
The Chameleon Effect and Chartrand & Bargh Experiments. (2010, July 8). The chameleon
effect. Retrieved December 12, 2015, from,
https://explorable.com/chameleon-effect
Winner, J., & Collishaw, R. (2011). Conformity. In Social science: An introduction (p. 370).
Toronto, ON: McGraw-Hill Ryerson.
CONFORMITY VS. NON-CONFORMITY
HSP3U1
Ms. Calabretta
December 14, 2015
By: Alka, Chantelle, Deandra, Gifty, Isabella, Lavinia, Palak, Rebecca