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.
The second way would be to try to understand what the influence is on a person’s perception and on their behavior when it comes to the behavior of a social group. The third and final way would be to try and to understand the different social groups as a behavioral entity and what if any are the relationships and what are the influences that one social group shall have on another social group. Furthermore social psychology is the study of the nature and of the causes of how a person behaves in a social matter. Describe the primary research strategies used in social psychology and give an example of each. The first would be descriptive research.
1. Using the chapters on language and emotions to help frame your answer, suggest two ways that Ken could open this conversation more productively, beyond clearly expressing his emotions and using “I” language. o Ken was right by getting upset. He told Jan something in private and asked her not to say anything to anyone. He could have talked it out with Jan before getting so upset with each other about each one saying something that they did not want said to anyone other than their selves.
Evaluate research studies on conformity Conformity is a type of social influence in which individuals change their attitudes or behaviour to adhere to existing social norms. Researchers identify to types of conformity – private or informative and public or normative. Private conformity refers to private acceptance of social norms, while public conformity is overt bahaviour consistent with social norms that are nor privately accepted. Why do people conform? On the one hand, people conform because they are members of social groups.
Evaluate Explanations of Conformity There are two explanations for conformity: Informational social influence and normative social influence. Informational Social Influence refers to instances where people conform because they are uncertain about what to do in a particular situation, so they look to others for guidance. Sherif: during an uncertain, we desire to be correct and look to our social group for answers. This then leads to internalisation. Which is when an individual is exposed to the views of a group, which causes them to validate or examine their own beliefs.
Conformity, obedience and the social influences involved This essay examines the likely outcomes of human behaviour. By analysing Asch’s study into conformity and Hofling’s experiment about obedience, the extent to which individuals can avoid such social influences is investigated. There’s been great research into why people conform; following Asch’s study Deutsch and Gerald found that there are two types of social influence which makes people conform. Normative social influence; where individuals conform to be accepted and belong to the group. Benefits come from belonging in a group, individuals may conform on the surface but disagree with the group internally.
A sense of belonging and rapport is engendered within collective identities; being part of a group implies common traits that give individuals the same identity, showing them as different to other groups and identities. Identity is a way in which individuals, within the social world they live, make sense of who they are (Woodward, 2004, p2). Identity is complex and multi-faceted as individuals will have multiple identities that define them; employee, parent, friend and teacher. Having multiple identities may produce internal conflict, as the expectations and responsibilities of each identity assert themselves. Identity is fashioned from multiple factors; an individuals gender, country of origin, social class, occupation, interests, cultural background and religion all have an influence on their identity.
So say if you act out on these attitudes, it could have a bad effect on the children your working with and other children they might know, and you would not want them to copy your own actions in a result. Everyone from child to adult that we may meet on a day to day basis could have a different opinion to mine, and are more than likely will have different values and mind sets. When you are around children of your own or other parents children, you have to be in control of the things you are saying and the actions you are taking, because children can take so much information and tend to copy what an adult says and does, as most children will see there family and other adults as a role model. Like me for example, i act almost the same age as the children i work with, but yet at the same time i act a mature age to show them what they should and should not say and be careful of what i am saying to the children when with them in class. If we go and show bad attitude and show that we are negative to certain people around them.
This type of conformity occurs due to pressure and wanting to not deviate from the group and therefore individuals “comply” with the group norm. The person would behave differently when not in the group setting in other incidences. Informational social influence occurs because when individuals are unsure themselves they turn to the group believing the majority to be genuinely correct in their assertions and behaviour. This is a form of internalisation because the individual would come to accept the groups view as their own and it would likely be repeated even without the influence of the group. This type of conformity is more likely to occur when the situation is ambiguous, there is a crisis or individuals believe other people to be “experts” and know more.
Whether they like it or not, managers and supervisors are the ones who have to implement the changes from head to toe. In addition, it is critical that they understand their role as leaders, in these rapidly changing times. Unfortunately, all employees do not respond to change with the attitude in good manner. During the periods of changes in organizations, some employees may feel the need for looking towards and compare everything with the past because it was a more secure, predictable time. If what they did in the past worked well for them, they may resist changing their behavior out of fear and suspicion.