Obedience and Conformity Effects

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Table of Contents

Compare and contrast the concepts of conformity and obedience
Classical study on the effect of group influence on the self
Contemporary example of the effect that group influence has on the self
Individual and societal influences
Reference list

Compare and contrast the concepts of conformity and obedience

Conformity

Conformity should be understood as a social influence that revolves around a change of belief. In other cases, there is change of behavior so that a given individual can be able to fit in a group as time goes by. This is normally done to be in tandem with what that group believes in. There are cases where an individual might admire the behavior and beliefs of a given group and will therefore strive to suit.

It should be known that these changes can be real in relation to the physical presence of others. On the other hand, it can be as a result of pressure from social norms or different expectations. All this can be summed up as peer pressure depending on the circumstances and prevailing situation. In a broad perspective, conformity has always been referred to as the ability to yield to pressure (Abate, 1997, p. 23).

This means that pressure can be exhibited in different forms where we might have persuasion or teasing among others. As far as conformity is concerned, there should be an agreement to be on the position of the majority. In such cases, there might be some desire to fit in the group as time goes by. This can be out of the need to be liked by others or to be always correct which can be described as informational.

Obedience

Obedience is a psychological aspect that has always tried to explain human behavior. In fact, it is a quality that revolves around carrying out commands. This is where an individual becomes actuated to what he/she is expected to do. As far as these two aspects are concerned, obedience differs in a broad way from conformity because it is not influenced by peers in any way.

Obedience is an aspect that human beings have tried to harness because it is always necessary in different situations and circumstances that relate to life. Different people and scholars have argued that obedience can be either a sin or virtue which is true based on the prevailing situation. In all cases, human beings are mostly obedient where we have some legitimate authority in place (Moscovici, 1974, p. 35).

Obedience to authority is something that we cannot run away from as this is always the norm. As a matter of fact, obedience has been seen as a norm where people follow orders that have been given by an authority figure. It should be known that there are different forms of authority that have guided the behavior of human beings.

All this withstanding, obedience is regarded and will always be regarded as a virtue. For instance, children are expected to be obedient to their parents. This implies that obedience can be trained because it has proved to be effective on social animals where human beings belong.

There are differences between obedience and conformity which can still be explored. While conformity revolves around going along with what the crowd is doing, obedience can be described as behaving as you have been instructed by your authority or seniors. When it comes to conformity, people always act to please their peer which is completely different from obedience where people act in relation to what the authority wants.

People conform to something because they want to be accepted or liked in a given circumstance or situation. This is mostly influenced by the need to suit in a group so that you might not feel silly (Abate, 1997, p. 55). On the other hand, people abide to something because they want to avoid punishment.

This implies that there are unpleasant consequences of failing to be obedient to your authority or seniors which nobody wants to be part of. It should be known that conformity and obedience differ in a broad way because they are different aspects of social influence.

While obedience is always explicit, conformity can be described as implicit. Such aspects can be explained from the social influence that they have on human beings as time goes by.

Obedience and conformity are important social behaviors that define and therefore have a role to play in our lives as human beings. It should be known that the human behavior is very complex meaning that it is affected by the way we live in our society. As far as similarities are concerned, obedience and conformity are traits that are experienced every now and then.

This is because man has been defined as a social group which is explained by the way he lives in groups as his preference. Therefore, these two aspects will be encountered in one way or the other as human beings go about their activities. Obedience and conformity guide the behavior of human beings in various ways and this is a common factor that binds them together (Moscovici, 1974, p. 64).

The most notable similarity between these two aspects is the fact that they are forms of social influence. In both cases, there is some change of behavior in response to the behavior that is portrayed or expected from others.

Classical study on the effect of group influence on the self

The S.E Asch is a classical study that tried to explain the influence of groups on individuals. This is mostly on the influence that group pressures normally have on our judgments. In most cases, there is a lot of modification and distortion as a result of group influence which can be regarded as pressure.

A close analysis explains why subjects end up being influenced by the large group outlook that is common in our society (Moscovici, 1974, p. 91). This study was mostly concerned with grounds of resistance that are always exhibited in different groups from varying perspectives. For instance, there are cases where propaganda might be used to support some course of action thereby mobilizing the population.

This means that as much as an aspect might not be right, there are other people who are always vulnerable and will therefore believe in what is being propagated. Such an aspect is very practical and applicable in the current world because some people might always use propaganda to get as much support as possible.

According to the classical study, there are grounds upon which people might be able to resist some evil influence but this never happens as expected. There is always a clear movement towards the majority and this can be manifested in various and different forms. This might be the incorrect view but there is external pressure that dictates the course of action.

Strong influence comes from the self confidence that different people might have and this therefore influences self (Abate, 1997, p. 66). The effects of group structure vary in a great way which revolves around the size of the group thereby influencing other partners. In fact, the role of majority size should not be underestimated on how they influence the self because this has been seen in our society.

We tend to follow what the majority are doing because we might fear the consequences. This is based on the belief that nobody ever wants to be on the receiving end yet this could have been avoidable. In fact, as human beings, we always want to suit in a group because we are social beings. All in all, this classical study tries to analyze the effects of group influence on individuals.

Contemporary example of the effect that group influence has on the self

The effects of group influence on an individual can always be noted as time goes by based on the prevailing circumstances. This means that they can be profound in a broad way and the long term effect will be obedience and conformity to what a given group stands for.

As far as contemporary examples are concerned, there are cases where there might be some behavior that individuals will be forced to conform and abide by even though they don’t believe in such aspects (Abate, 1997, p. 44). In this case, the behavior might be against an individuals beliefs and desires which is normal in a distinct and diverse society.

Currently, our efficacy beliefs can be influenced in one way or the other by the group around us. The characteristics and beliefs of the group can exert some pressure that will ultimately affect an individual.

The world has given people a lot of experiences that have ultimately changed the way they relate and behave. This has had an implication that people will always change their beliefs and practices which they might want to pass on to others.

Such an aspect can therefore explain why we have had to witness changes in our cultural beliefs and practices. A political party can be described as a group and this is a perfect contemporary example where individual supporters have been influenced to adopt the doctrines and manifestos that they believe in.

Peer groups have a lot of influence in college and this can be a perfect contemporary example that explains the effect that such groups have on individual students (Abate, 1997, p. 19). For instance, you might find students simply smoking because others are also smoking in their group.

Because of this, it should be known that learning as a process has to be represented by a change in the behavior of a given individual on a long term basis. For instance, students might change their dress codes to fit within a given group which can be explained as conformity.

Group influence can always be relevant or irrelevant based on what the society believes in and these are aspects that will continue being witnessed in different contemporary situations.

Individual and societal influences

There are different individual and societal influences that always lead to deviance from the normal dominant group norms that are known to everybody. Preoccupation of a certain belief can be described as an influence that has always led to deviance because there are certain people who believe in themselves and what they think is right.

In this case, nobody can convince them to abandon what they believe in at the expense of the general practices of the society. It should be understood that when individuals believe in something, they will go extra miles to ensure that others feel and see what they are doing which explains deviance from the normal norms of the society (Moscovici, 1974, p. 79).

This can be either a societal or individual influence because preoccupation can be seen in all cases and perspectives that might be prevailing at that given period of time. Lack of social integration is an influence that leads to deviance in a great way.

In this case, it creates a situation where there is fragmentation of different societal structures thereby limiting uniformity and collectiveness that is required as far as observing the norms of the dominant group are concerned.

Genetic and social aspects are influences that have led to deviance because there is a situation where they affect the patterns of deviant behavior. This implies that deviant behavior can be genetically motivated based on what a given family believes in and practices. In this case, there are people who behave in a unique way which can be traced from their family.

The nature of interaction is also an influence that can lead to deviance from the dominant group norms. When people interact well, they will be able to understand each other thereby being one. In this case, there will be no resistance or deviance in doing what others are doing but this is not the case where interaction is not embraced and encouraged (Abate, 1997, p. 82).

An emphasis on social experiences can also be an influence because this issue might not resonate well with others who will always have a different overview which ultimately leads to deviance.

Social regulation can also explain why we might have some deviance since most people always want to operate in a free environment. When goals and opinions come into conflict, there is likely to be deviance because the norms might be regarded as the problem.

Reference list

Abate, F. (1997). The Oxford Pocket Dictionary and Thesaurus. New York: Oxford University Press.

Moscovici, N. (1974). Minority influence- Social psychology: Classic and contemporary integrations. Chicago: Rand McNally.

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