Conformity & Obedience

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Influence of Conformity and Obedience Influence of Conformity and Obedience Introduction Being part of a group play a significant part of an individuals’ everyday life. A person may join formal and informal groups, for example political, sport, book, and neighborhood groups. All of these groups have influence on the behavior of their members. Each member occupies a position with the group. According to Coon (1997) the position results in a social role whereas certain behavior is expected with these given position. An important part of a group is its norms. The norms act as conduct guidelines for members. During interaction group members have a direct impact on one another’s behavior. Social influence includes a variation in ideas, beliefs, attitudes, or behavior as a result of interacting (Fiske, 2010). Conformity and obedience are important factors in groups because they command members to follow societal norms. Members who decide to go against societal norms can be described as nonconformist and detrimental to society. This paper will attempt to compare and contrast the concepts of conformity and obedience. An analysis of a classical study concerning the effect of group influence on the self will be discussed. In addition an analysis of a contemporary example of the effect the group influence has on the self will also be offered. Last, an analysis of individual and societal influences leading to deviance from dominant group norms will be presented. Society has expectations for members to conform to models of behavior and the majority of its members find it easier to obey and conform to society norms in order to coexist in society. Concept of Conformity According to Fiske (2010) groups have an effect on the behavior of its members who in turn promote conformity. Conformity is needed because it can enhance members’ sense of belonging and
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