Culture and Background Effect on Individual and Conformity

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Table of Contents

Introduction
Proof
Concession
Conclusion
Works Cited

Introduction

Sociologists and psychologists pay much attention to the factors that shape the worldviews of people and their behavior. Very often, much attention is paid to the person’s attitudes towards conformity and individualism. Overall, the term conformity can be described as the willingness of a person to imitate the behavior of the majority.

At the same time, individualism is the willingness of a person to keep his/her own beliefs and values even though they can differ from values of the rest of society. Thus, conformity and individualism are opposite notions. These concepts are important for understanding people’s behavior. Psychologists often try to understand the reasons why people prefer behaving like the rest of society even if this behavior may be immoral.

For example, people who lived in totalitarian countries (Nazi Germany, the Soviet Union and so on) often committed numerous crimes and did loads of horrible things. Similarly, in many cases, a person can challenge the stereotypes that are often taken for granted by others. For example, in some Muslim countries, it is believed that women should not get higher education or set a business while many people in those countries do not agree with that stereotype and are ready to employ females.

However, it is possible to say that culture and background have a great effect on a person’s beliefs about conformity and individualism. In particular, an individual can be taught to respect and imitate the values of the majority. In contrast, the culture and background of a person can make him oppose the norms established in the community. This is the main thesis that should be examined more closely.

Proof

On the whole, it is possible to argue that the representatives of different cultures may not have the same attitudes to conformity and individualism. In some cases, the acceptance of the mainstream rules can be regarded as one of the cornerstones that ensure the existence of society. In order to illustrate this point, one should focus on the value systems and norms adopted in different countries. In her article, Anne Lee investigates the reasons why innovation is not fostered in such a country as China (Lee).

The journalist believes that in this country, people, who do not comply with the mainstream, can be easily “edged out” or marginalized by the community (Lee). This tendency is not very strong in Western societies in which the individuality is one of the core values. Additionally, the author mentions Steve Jobs, who is regarded as a classical example of entrepreneurial spirit (Lee).

The key issue is that such entrepreneurs do not come to the forefront of Chinese society because such people are usually ready to challenge the existing norms (Lee). The main problem is that this behavior is usually welcomed in China. Thus, these examples suggest that the behavior of a person is determined culturally. In particular, they influence a person’s attitude towards social norms. This is one of the points that can be made.

In many cases, children rely on the guidance of parents who act as role models. In many cases, parents can say that their children should not try to stand out among others because this behavior can eventually pose a threat to the person. As a rule, such children are more likely to take other people’s values for granted.

This is one of the details that should not be overlooked. In contrast, other parents may lay stress on the need to think in a critical way. Such individuals are more likely to assess the advantages and disadvantages of other people’s ethical principles or actions. Very often, they can refute the stereotypes that other people can accept without questioning. Overall, much depends on the educational level of parents who influence the worldviews of their children. This is one of the aspects that should be considered.

This issue is also illustrated by Richard Rodriguez who focuses on the experiences of immigrants. The author focuses on the willingness of these people to integrate into the community (Rodriguez 25). This behavior is often observed among the children of immigrants. In many cases, they feel alienated from other people.

Moreover, these individuals strive to achieve the so-called confidence “of belonging” (Rodriguez 26). Thus, they are more likely to imitate the behavior of the majority. Furthermore, this example shows that the attitudes toward conformity are often shaped by the family.

Overall, the culture and background of a person can be regarded as the main forces that influence a person’s views on society and the very notion of a rule. More importantly, they affect his/her attitudes toward the authority figures developing the norms which people tend to follow. These are some of the main aspects that can be singled out.

Concession

Still, it is important to discuss possible objections to this argument. The notion of conformity has been of great interest to researchers who believe that it is possible to make a person agree with the opinions of the majority even if they are dangerous or immoral. For instance, much attention should be paid to the experiments carried out by Solomon Asch.

In particular, he demonstrated that people were ready to forget about their own beliefs and values just to act like the majority and to be a part of the majority. Moreover, people are ready not to believe their own eyes as they are more willing to agree with others (Asch 727). For instance, they can come to the conclusion that they cannot properly estimate the size of objects (Asch 728). This example shows that people tend to “choose the path of compliance” (Arsh 728).

One should keep in mind that the majority of people behave that way and their age, gender, or background are not important for this process. As a rule, people can accept the values of other people in order to be a part of the majority. Thus, conformity is common and it is not necessarily developed by culture or background.

Apart from that, the psychological and moral development of a person is not a simple process that can be easily predicted. It is especially important to understand this since the modern world is very complex and many people of different backgrounds live and work together.

Technology also has an effect on people’s behavior. To some degree, cultural borders between individuals disappear as a person can be influenced by many cultures. Thus, one cannot say that individualism and conformity are not influenced by background and culture only. It is necessary to take into account a lot of factors.

Nevertheless, these exceptions are not enough to reject the influence of culture and background. For instance, even the conformity experiments conducted by Solomon Asch suggest that there are people who can resist peer pressure (29). To a great extent, these exceptions can be explained by the background of these people.

For example, people’s character is developed in childhood when parents pass on their values to them. Children go to school and their beliefs and values are also shaped by these experiences. Therefore, one should not reject the influence of culture and background of a person because they are major forces that shape the attitudes of an individual.

Conclusion

This discussion shows that culture and background play a critical role in shaping a person’s views on the conventions that other people can accept. In particular, these factors affect his/her attitudes toward individualism and conformity. In many cases, a person can be taught to accept the norms of the majority, even if these rules are not beneficial. Sometimes, these norms can be described as the cornerstone of society.

This is why many people can act in a conformist way, even though this behavior contradicts their moral principle or worldviews. In contrast, an individual can be encouraged to think in a critical or skeptical way. Such people usually assess the benefits and drawbacks of the postulates that can be accepted without any questions.

Sometimes, these people can bring significant social changes. Certainly, one should not overlook the influence of other factors such as the general tendency of people to follow the examples provided by the majority. Moreover, it is not permissible to disregard the influence of mass media on the behavior of a person.

Very often, their influence can differ from the value system embedded in a particular culture. Nevertheless, the culture and background of an individual are more important factors. These are the main arguments that can be put forward.

Works Cited

Asch, Solomon. Opinions and Social Pressure, New York: Freeman, 1955. Print.

Lee, Anne. “Why China doesn’t have its own Steve Jobs.” Chinese Market Research. 2011. Web.

Rodriguez, Richard. An Autobiography: Hunger of Memory: The Education of Richard Rodriguez, New York: Random House Publishing Group, 2004. Print.

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