Conformity in Groups

Conformity in Groups

Brian Lynn Bentley

Introductory Sociology

Colorado Technical University

Conformity in Groups

Major findings are that we are social animals and in some cases it can be a good thing to be social for protection in a group or survival of the group or weaker individuals of the group. However that can be flipped on its head when the majority is less than ethical and possibly corrupt. This is most evident in the milligram experiment (Milgram, 1974). A voice from authority that speaks with authority. A voice with a sound of importance, emphases of your task. A firm repeated requests in an authoritative tone. Indicates how an individual with a certain type of tone or personality can lead followers into doing something under normal circumstances they would never have thought about doing.

Major findings of the Asch conformity experiment (Asch ,1951) indicates a lot more things about followers leaders and individuals it gives us an eye into a logical fallacy of "group think" and refusal to answer a question correctly because no one else has or is. or false dichotomy where the individual thinks there is only one choice "the wrong choice." even though there are two answers the right answer and the wrong answer. However, when they changed the variables in this experiment the results changed. Going along to get along as the groups got larger. Though there is a limit. That and when more than one person disagreed with the majority the test subject increased the odds that he would choose the right answer. This indicates a larger problem in society we are more concerned what people think of us then what we think of ourselves. We have this need to be liked by a group. Be part of an in group as a status symbol or to be more popular. A great fear of rejection or ejection by the group. Or to get some sort of reward for being part of the group.

In high school there was in my school four groups of major cliques the preppies with the

high collars and high hair, the jocks and cheerleaders the preppy jocks and everyone else. I fell into the everyone else category I never wanted to be part of a large group my friend circle never went more than ten people at the most and I averaged about 4 to 6 people I trusted closely. And my group was a mix of nerd’s stoner’s preppies and just individuals who flew their own flag. I never tried to be par to a group but a group always seemed to form around me a small group but still a group. I got a sort of high out of not being like anyone else it was a thing I used to define me. So other than in my social circle group pressure to be like anyone else never phased me and even in my personal clique I still used common sense when pressured. So I can state no I was never ever influenced by what everyone else was doing or like I did what I wanted to do and liked to do. Unless it was to impress a girl then all that went out the window.

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References

Gould, M. K. (2009). Group Polarization. Research Starters Sociology (Online Edition),

Asch Experiment | Simply Psychology. (n.d.). Retrieved March 5, 2015, from http://www.simplypsychology.org/asch-conformity.html

McArthur, D. (2009). Good Ethics Can Sometimes Mean Better Science: Research Ethics and the Milgram Experiments. Science & Engineering Ethics, 15(1), 69-79. doi:10.1007/s11948-008-9083-4

Milgram Experiment | Simply Psychology. (n.d.). Retrieved March 8, 2015, from http://www.simplypsychology.org/milgram.html

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