M3. Explain why conformity and obedience are important in the public services, with reference to research studies. Conformity and obedience are forms of social influence which strongly affect our behaviour is social situations, from following fashions and unwritten social norms which organise our behaviour, to committing immoral acts because we are commanded to by someone who appears to be in a position of authority. This essay looks at the similarities and differences between the three, looking specifically at the factors that influence each two. Conformity within a group entails members changing their attitudes and beliefs in order to match those of others within the group.
For example how else could the activity be done and would anyone benefit from it ? By working in this way we are constantly learning about our own way of working and trying to improve . | 1.4 Describe how own values, beliefs systems and experiences may affect working practice Everyone has been brought up in a different way . We are a multi racial and multi cultural society with very many different ways and beliefs about how to eat ,dress behave and worship and very often it is only natural to think that our own way is the right way .This can lead to the thinking that others are wrong if they do things differently but this can badly affect the way people work together. Some may begrudge a colleague for doing a task a certain way because they think it is wrong but in another culture it is considered acceptable .
Cults and Social Control By Tammie Swann Virginia Online College Abstract Why join a cult? Anyone can become a cult member through the systematic application of psychological and social influences that produce changes in behavior, values, and attitudes, allowing for the loss of self-individualization. This paper focuses on the different types of control used in developing the deindividuation of cult members. Cults are more common in our society than one would expect. They are systems or communities of people that have obsessive devotion to a person in authority or an ideal and have the potential to be destructive.
In our society today, our everyday lives are governed by a set of laws and rules inwhich we view as the correct way to act. Our daily lives are based on this, and even the effect how we act around one and other. However, those who step away from these 'Norms' are viewed as weird, strange and different by the conforming majority. These individuals who break away from these social nomalities risk being prosecuted, but why do they do this? What compels them to resist these pressures and follow there own independant path?
Now you would feel left out and you wouldn’t hang out with those friends anymore and it comes to the point that you’d reconsider your stance of the matter to join them. Social influence takes a really big role in our modern society and it is one of the main factors on how we behave a certain way. It shows us in what way we are not fitting in to those around us including our family. Some of these influences might ruin your own personal behaviours, emotions or opinions regarding your personal life. Social influence involves/includes the study of conformity, compliance and it also involves a bit of obedience.
Groups may place specific regulations in relation to food, sexual conduct, and relationships. These beliefs encourage and prohibit behaviors that are corroborated by religious instruction and relate behavior with reward or penalty (Clark, 1999-2014). Within the parameters of religious organizations two major incidents can be associated with social influences on human behavior, the Salem Witch Trials and the tragedy of Waco, Texas. Both have the aspect of how collective behavior with a religious veil can quickly encompass human behavior with social situations. Each event contains a small group or individual that regulates the dimensions of commitment to the faction and disobedience was met with harsh punishment.
It is therefore very possible to find varying social norms as we move from one social setting to another. Of significance is the fact that basic social norms cut across cultures of the world. Those who do not adhere to social norms are always punished or considered social misfits. Norms are a very important part of society. In the book, norms are defined as “the specific expectations about how people behave in a given situation”.
(www.about.com) These subjective meanings are a belief that the majority of people act on their cultural beliefs as opposed to the objective truths. This is imposing that culture facilitates or can generate society, depending on your subjective beliefs. Symbolic Interaction Theory, Symbolic Interactionism, explains that society functions and also adjusts through social interaction with others which also creates social norms and, to a huge extent, is a primary function for both the institution of religion and education. The institution of religion uses symbolic interactionism to teach morals and rituals to those currently participating in or those who wish to participate in that religious practice. In many religions usually there is a leader, or leaders, who make a hierarchy system in which he or she would preach to the mass or congregation about morals, truths, and rituals.
At one time or another everyone has been affected by social Influences. Because humans are very social creatures, we each have an effect on one another. Our family, our friends, our socioeconomic status, our culture, and even our gender can affect our behavior, our attitudes, and sometimes even our emotions. Some of these influences can be both positive and negative. Social Psychologists study these different types of pressure and agree that the three major kinds of influences are conformity, compliance, and obedience.
Asch’s line judgment study greatly displayed this theory through its ability to garner results from its participants both individually and while in groups. Although at first participant’s showed resistance to conform it was only a matter of time before they were stating the wrong answer in hopes of being jointly correct with the rest of the group. This was seen as a form of compliance because the patients began to act in a manner which they believed would lead to acceptance within group even though they knew that the answer was wrong. Moreover, I myself have experienced normative social influences which resulted in my transition to compliance through many interactions with my friends. For example, I am a very serious person when it comes to the movies that I like so there are very few which I hold in high regard.