Symbols, Signs, and Obedience
How we react to what isn't spoken
What roles do symbols play?
Why do we obey symbols?
Images
Why don't we obey some symbols?
- Self Preservation
- Ignorance
- Personal gain
- Conformity
- Obedience
Conformity
- They tell us what we can and cannot do
- They elicit feelings
- They express emotion
- Images become symbols by the meaning we associate them with
- Personal Gain
- Misconception
- Ability to ignore
- Ignorance
- Conformity
What are Symbols?
- According to Aronson conformity is a change in a person's behavior as a result of real or imagined pressure from another person or a group of people
- We obey because others do
- We disobey because others do
- We conform to the non-conformists
- Asch's conformity study
- Symbols are objects or images that represent something else
- They are created mostly by society
- They are a type of communication
Happiness
Oppression
Love
Findings
Traffic
- When the outcome has an effect on us we choose to obey
- When we feel we have control it is easier to disobey
My Test
Obedience
- I interviewed five people to see how they act towards authority of traffic signs that have real ramifications.
- We follow the instruction of authority
- We don't need to see proof of authority
- We don't want to upset the "status quo"
- Millgram's obedience study