Preview

Conformity and Obedience

Satisfactory Essays
Open Document
Open Document
647 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
Conformity and Obedience
Essay: Conformity and Obedience
July 7th 2010
Conformity is like a virus that you are bound to catch, and there is only one real cure. People conform to society because society has strength and power over us. People delude themselves into believing that majority is society. If someone’s views go against society then society will pounce upon them like a hungry lion to eat them alive. Rather than going against it, people follow along even if it isn’t always right. People must do what is right, but the question is what is right?
When you are surrounded by a group of people it is nearly impossible to not go along with what they are doing. Society has made people delude themselves into believing that what is right is what society says is right. Nothing gives them authority over you, and they are no more knowledgeable than you are. No one knows what is right and what is wrong. Overtime what defines right and wrong has changed drastically. As things become accepted they become what is known as right and wrong. People evolve and change their views because courageous people stood-up for what they believed in even if it was not the right idea. You must do what you believe is right and I must do what I believe is right because in the end all that matters what we believe.
Conformity is a difficult thing to avoid. It takes courage to stand up against society. Many times people have been or were willing to be prosecuted for it. A world allowing things to go on that I know are wrong is not a world worth partaking in.
Conformity easily turns into obedience, but there is a difference. People must continue living the same principles with obedience as with conformity. The key to obedience is to honestly believe in those who you are obedient too. But people put too much faith in the authorities they obey, and it blinds them whenever the authority they obey does something that they don’t really believe is right. Deep down they know it certain things aren’t truly right, but they

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Good Essays

    Conformity in the means of “complying with standards, rules, or laws,” can in some cases have people in shock when they're told they adhere to those circumstances. In other words, conformity can be good or bad; yet a lot of people don’t know that they are conforming. They simply do it subconsciously. The sheep in “Animal Farm” by George Orwell, conform without complete clarity of what they’re doing. Whereas Allen Iverson, a retired NBA basketball player from Hampton, Virginia; did not conform to what society's expectations had set out for him. In the case of the sheep from Animal Farm, societal consequences occur with conformity, stifled free speech and with Allen Iverson, individual consequences occur in nonconformity.…

    • 592 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    It is often said that conformity can be a horrible thing in today's society, but I have always believed that conformity was and can be a dangerous thing in life. In the article “Sociology of Leopard Man” the author Logan Feys states that, “Conformity can be seen as the world's most common but dangerous psychological disorder” (par. 6). In other words, he believes that being in a group surrounded by uniqueness is “unsafe” because we will not be able to think by ourselves and we as humans will follow the group and be a follower in life. Honestly it is a good thing we have uniqueness because we would all be doing the exact same thing and we need different people that can show us it is okay, without them we would all be thinking the same.…

    • 143 Words
    • 1 Page
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Better Essays

    Broken Window Theory

    • 3650 Words
    • 15 Pages

    Society has instilled certain morals, and standards perceived to be acceptable and those perceived to be unacceptable. These acceptable and unacceptable standards are written as laws. Laws are written rules and regulations implemented to the public, in which are to be abided by. When choosing to abide by the designated laws of society, an individual is demonstratesing acts of conformity. The Conformity Perspective view “views humans as creatures of conformity who want to do the right thing.” (Bartol & Bartol, 4) Theory– human creatures beings inherently want to conform to laws and regulations to do the “right” thing and it is inherently within him or her to conform to the requirements of the law. Human beingsAn individual are basicallyessentially will people individuals’ who choose a course of action that the majority favors. TheA few main reasons as toing waywhy an individual wills chose to conform is (1) to gain acceptance; (2) to achieve societal/group goals; (3) to achieve personal…

    • 3650 Words
    • 15 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    People tend to change their behavior to that label either acting deviant or conforming. Obedience Obedience occurs when a person's opinions, judgment, or actions change because someone in a position of authority told them to do so. When a person with higher authority commands something people tend to conform easier. (Chambliss, William J.., and Daina S. Eglitis.…

    • 467 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    So many people take social conformity for granted that not many bother to find out why it is such a powerful phenomenon and why so many people submit to this force without any resistance.…

    • 1559 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Better Essays

    English notes

    • 1812 Words
    • 7 Pages

    People who conform are happy and are given a sense of identity, those who don't are left to be alone…

    • 1812 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Theories Of Conformity

    • 158 Words
    • 1 Page

    conformation is extremely common. Also, in some cases people may conform to much in a potentially dangerous situation, and could hurt themselves or someone else. Take the Jim Jones Cult for…

    • 158 Words
    • 1 Page
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    One of our Country’s greatest presidents once stated“Conformity is the jailer of freedom, and the enemy of growth.”. Evidently, Conformity is one of the biggest threats there is to mankind, yet we have the power to change that! It’s so easy to “follow the trend”. It’s so easy to do something not because it’s right or wrong, but merely because “everyone is doing it.” But just because everyone does it, it doesn’t justify the morality of the action. For instance, if every American citizen were to send death threats to President Trump, does that make it right? Despite what people may think of him, or despite his previous action, does it justify their actions? On the other hand, it’s so hard to not follow the norm, and those who do so are very commendable, and their determination and self-discipline are appreciated, if not by America, then at least by me . Conclusively, conformity is not a double edged sword, it is more like a single edged blade; as more people give into conformity the…

    • 711 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Not Only does Society not require conformity, it goes as far as to encourage individualism. Many instances provide proof that this statement is a reality. Throughout history, science, our modern world, etc. we see examples of distinctiveness benefiting the individual. How else do unique personas such as Michael Jackson and Paris Hilton thrive in our world? Yet even if individualism does not thrive in fortune or fame, it is now accepted as a part of our society.…

    • 685 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    We’ve all seen or heard people telling you how to look, feel, or act. People telling you to change,so you can fit in or look better. We all have been pressured to be something we’re not. Society thinks that conformity is huge part of life, that it keeps everything together. Conformity is important, but what’s more important is being unique, being yourself not someone you’re not. It is not good for individuals to change their feels, beliefs, looks, or actions to fit in with society because you’re basically changing your image to impress people.…

    • 443 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    People like to be comfortable, it’s just part of our human nature. We can see this from the earliest stages of life in children. When kids are playing on the playground there is always a big group of them. If something is called into question, the kids will always agree with the leader of the group or the big kid. Before they even know what they’re doing or what it actually means, they’re conforming.…

    • 1231 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    Why Do People Conform?

    • 1372 Words
    • 6 Pages

    The causes of conformity among individuals have long been debated and researched in recent decades. It is for this reason that conformity is an intriguing psychological concept. It causes sound-minded individuals to go against their best judgement, to engage in behaviour which they usually would not engage in, even accept and welcome an idea they internally disagree with, all in order to not be a deviant from the group. It is thus interesting to look at the factors which cause people to conform, to do what they see others doing, to rely on the judgements of the group, and to ignore their own senses and perceptions. It is the reasons for the individual's desire to conform that I will be discussing in this paper.…

    • 1372 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Good Essays

    Conformity is something that happens daily in our social worlds. Although we are sometimes aware of our behaviour, in many cases we conform without being very aware that we are doing so. Sometimes we go along with things that we don’t agree with or we behave in a way that…

    • 896 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Dictionary.com defines term conformist as “a person who conforms, especially unquestioningly, to the usual practices or standards of a group, society, etc.” Or perhaps a more fitting definition is urban dictionary’s: “Society's B*****. One who has to follow what's 'In'…

    • 1080 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    People are pressured to conform with the decisions within the group because if we do not we create tension, which is socially unacceptable. It happens all the time, and most of the time keeps quiet so we do not make waves. It’s all about social acceptance and associations that we have an innate need for relationships and we fear the loss of those connections when we oppose the group - which could be on micro level (as small as complying with household/workplace rules).…

    • 264 Words
    • 1 Page
    Good Essays