How Does the Research Support Conformity and How Might That Influence Conflict in the World - Essay Example

12 December Research paper: How does the research support conformity and how might that influence conflict in the world? Before exploring how the research supports conformity, it is important to understand the meaning of conformity itself. Conformity is the act of bringing a change in one’s behavior, attitudes or beliefs to align them with group norms. It is about changing social, political, or public behavior with the help of influence of others who have better information. It is not uncommon for us to feel uncertain in our life about how to think or behave in accordance with different situations. This is because we lack information. So, we try to imitate others’ behavior to be able to handle the tough situations. The research supports conformity because it promotes this imitation of behavior of people who have better and more valid sources of information. Research ensures this conformity by bringing about informational social influence (Aronson, Wilson, and Akert). This type of influence motivates common public to put trust in the way more learned people interpret confusing or ambiguous situations. Conformity is supported when people believe that this other version of interpretation is more reliable than their individual versions. This sort of conformity helps people see the right way amidst much darkness and go for the right course of action. Researchers are known for passing on more efficient and innovative behaviors to the rest of the world by using the tool of informational social influence. This suggests that particular groups in society have the power to design behavioral conventions on basis of evidence-based knowledge which are not yet witnessed in other groups. These particular groups then pass on their conventions to other groups and make them conform to them. People who do not show interest in conforming to new ideals have to try harder to gain social acceptance than people who demonstrate the tendency to conform (Aronson, Wilson, and Akert). This means that research or experimentally induced innovations lead to change things via conformity in people. People conform to be socially accepted. Comparing Turkey and America side by side in context of conformity reveals that on a general basis, people in Turkey show more willingness to engage in conforming behavior than Americans. They think less of themselves as individual beings and strive to align themselves with others or social norms. There is not as much freedom to be seen in Turkey as in America because less people go for the option of living by personal philosophies. Rather, a majority of population considers it safe to conform. This is because of two factors. First, Turkish people fear social rejection more than Americans and second, conformity is valued to a higher degree in Turkey than in America where personal freedom is a larger-than-life philosophy. It is due to other philosophies of similar nature like freedom of speech that everyone in America has complete freedom to voice their individual opinions to get them recognized. No particular group can impose the conventions it designs on the rest of the society. People do not have crippling fear of social rejection and a majority does not feel the need to conform to new and innovative ideals until they feel personally drawn to them (Shiraev and Levy 315). In contrast to Turkish people who attach undue importance to values like conformity and obedience, Americans endorse personal freedom and freedom of speech. This shows that vast differences exist in conforming behavior among Turks and Americans. When people try to change some situations and take actions for this purpose, they have primary control. In contrast, when people think it better to simply adjust to the existing conditions, they have secondary control. For example, America is known around the world for hosting many celebrated LGBT campaigns, while the number of such campaigns seen in Turkey is little to non-existent. This is because primary control which translates into less conformism is more valued in the US than in Turkey. How much can we predict behavior in our society given the research on attitudes? Originally, it was thought by social psychologists that the research on public attitudes could help in predicting their actions or behavior. Knowing more about attitudes than the rest of the society combined gave this notion to researchers that they could somehow predict human behavior. But, Leon Festinger in 1964 worked to challenge this popular idea by proposing that “the attitude–behavior relation works the other way around” (Myers 135). This proposal means that we cannot predict behavior in our society on basis of the research on attitudes because things in reality work the other way around. Changes in attitudes do not change behaviour, rather changes in behavior leads to changing attitudes. Festinger has gained reputation as one of the most influential social psychologists. He called behavior the horse and attitudes the cart (Myers 135). This was a serious blow to the accepted power of attitudes in predicting behavior. Another blow to the power of attitudes came with the help of another prominent social psychologist named Allan Wicker. Wicker scrutinized a plethora of research studies and concluded that “people’s expressed attitudes hardly predicted their varying behaviors” (Myers 135). This again suggests the idea that we cannot predict human behavior on basis of the research on attitudes. For example, student attitudes toward cheating were found to be poorly linked with the probability of their cheating in real life by Wicker. Attempts to modify or predict behavior by changing attitudes meet with failure. This led to the conclusion that the attitude concept should be abandoned because of its little desirability. Behaviors cannot be predicted given the research on attitudes because they are not affected by them. However, some scholars have also supported “a weak attitude-behavior link” (Myers 137). This is because people sometimes express attitudes or say things in which they do not privately believe. Current research stresses that the time in the past when many social psychologists called for abandoning the attitude concept is history now. It has been found that “attitudes significantly and substantially predict future behavior” (Kraus 58). This is why there is no reason to believe that people’s attitudes do not bring a change in their behavior. Before discussing predictive validity of attitudes, it is important to differentiate general attitudes from attitudes toward a behavior. This is because predictive validity or the role played in shaping human social behavior is different for general attitudes and attitudes toward a behavior. It is claimed that general attitudes significantly influence behavior, but this influence is moderated by others factors which are person-specific (Ajzen and Fishbein 178-179). These person-specific factors are related to “the person performing the behavior, the situation in which it is performed, or to characteristics of the attitude itself” (Ajzen and Fishbein 179). The self-monitoring tendency affects attitude-behavior relationship. People high in self-monitoring display behavior which represents social and interpersonal codes of appropriate performance. In contrast, people low in self-monitoring demonstrate behavior which accurately mirrors “their own attitudes, traits, feelings, and other current inner states” (Ajzen and Fishbein 179). Predictive validity of attitudes for behavior is higher in people who have low self-monitoring tendencies and lower in others who have a higher tendency to monitor their behavior. Keeping the earlier discussion in mind, this would suggest that predictive validity of attitudes is lower in Turks who are better able to give socially approved and appropriate performance, while it is higher in Americans who are known for their expressive behavior. How could you use the research on the perception of others to make the world a better place to live in? Research can be used in a variety of ways on the perception or awareness of others to make the world a better place to live in. Our perception of different things changes as research is filled with more innovative findings. It is due to countless feats achieved in the area of research that human race is where it is today and continues to evolve. This is why research can be employed as a highly effective means of changing perception of people about many important issues in our society which require reformations. This can help to make the world a better place to live in. Public awareness is critically valuable to bring a social change or revolution which then affects law. Several organized movements of monumental importance have remained instrumental in the passage of many laws for betterment of people. However, it should be remembered that a changed perception about an issue at hand lays the foundation for every social change. People gather and protest to change society for the better when they begin to perceive things in a different light. There is no other tool in the world more effective than research to ensure this change in perception of people. Generally, people have different perceptions on individual basis. Research helps to align those perceptions with one true perception which is most ideal. This is done to make a majority of population conform to the right cause so that more pressure could be exerted on the official authorities to abolish policies which are harmful for people or the world. There is no denying the fact that research holds a great potential to change people’s views or perception. Now, a very important example will be discussed to demonstrate how research can be used on the perception of others to make the world a better place. History is a witness to the remarkable way by which research worked to change the perception of American blacks. Investigation into the problem of racial equity by research helped to reveal the terrors of discrimination which became the root cause of fighting the black freedom war in the mid-20th century America. Many forces contributed to this research and made it more effective in influencing the public’s perception by collecting important records of segregation. The records of the Committee on Civil Rights in East Manhattan (CCREM) form one example of many research efforts which showed that dining experience for African Americans at majority-white restaurants in New York before the Civil Rights Act of 1964 was quite painful (Jou 232). Such evidence-based research knowledge helped to change the oppressed people’s minds and implanted this desire in them to become a part of the civil rights movement. This movement went on to affect law and resulted in the passage of myriad civil rights laws. However, the force which initiated this historical movement should not be forgotten. It was the wise investments made in research which changed the way Americans perceived slavery. Before they were aware enough to protect their interests and protest against the ordeal they were put through, the laws existed to protect the interests of the ruling minority made up of the white elites. But, an increasing social awareness and reducing hate towards blacks over time due to a growing body of research is why the legal standing of African Americans changed overtime for better. Works cited: Ajzen, Icek, and Fishbein, Martin. “The Influence of Attitudes on Behavior.” The Handbook of Attitudes. Eds. Albarracin, Dolores, Johnson, Blair, T., and Zanna, Mark P. Psychology Press, 2014. 173-221. Print. Aronson, Elliot, Wilson, Timothy D., and Akert, Robin M. Social Psychology. 6th ed. Pearson Prentice-Hall, 2007. Print. Jou, Chin. “Neither Welcomed, Nor Refused: Race And Restaurants In Postwar New York City.” Journal Of Urban History 40.2 (2014): 232-251. Kraus, Stephen J. “Attitudes and the Prediction of Behavior: A Meta-Analysis of the Empirical Literature.” Pers Soc Psychol Bull 21.1 (1995): 58-75. Print. Myers, David C. Social Psychology. 8th ed. Tata McGraw-Hill Education, 2006. Print. Shiraev, Eric, and Levy, David. Cross-Cultural Psychology: Critical Thinking And Contemporary Applications. 3rd ed. Pearson Education India, 2008. Print. Read More