Conformity and its consequence - Essay Example

Word count 680 Order # 543709 d 6th June Conformity and its consequence Conformity is nothing but an act of matching one’s beliefs, behavior and attitudes with the normal perception of our society. When a person is brought up in a society, he would be subjected to some common set of behavior and norms which would be followed in any groups including family and it becomes a regular habit. While doing so, it may so happen that the person when he is alone also shows conformity with the general perception of the society.

By conforming to the regular norms of the society, the identity of the person would be preserved, other wise he may have to face social rejection. In other words, the practice of conformity may be found at individual level and at group level. At times, it may so happen that the exposure to some extraordinary things may attract the individuals to believe or practice the same, but for fear from the society regarding non conformity with the general belief, the individuals prefer to avoid the new practice.

The people may just follow the conformity and they become more selfish while treating others in some of the occasions. For example, in case of very old man who came to the house of Pelayo and Elisenda, the couple initially tried to find the actual truth about his whereabouts and nature of life. Once they got a clue that the old man might be an angel, they tried to get the advantage of the presence of old man in their home. They started collecting entry fee for visiting the old man and in this process they became rich, but unfortunately they neglected the old man.

Though the father Gonzaga expressed doubts about the characteristics of the angel due to lack of mortal characters in old man and lack of ability to speak in Latin language, the major sections of common people in the society started believing that the old man might be an angel. However, the influence of the opinion of the father of the Church was there on the minds of the common people and hence they started going to view some other extraordinary thing instead of visiting old man. After deriving maximum benefit from the old man in the form of entry fee, Pelayo and Elisenda also believed that the old man has no link with the angel by conforming to the common belief of the society.

Though they observed the extraordinary nature of the old man in the form of enormous wings, they preferred to have conformity with the regular norms of the society and took advantage of the general belief of the groups for some time and neglected the general fact. Even when the old man escaped from the home and flown away, Elisenda didn’t realize that he might be an angel and hence he could fly in sky. In the recent years, the transformation of the individuals and groups towards the practice of new methods can be witnessed though they have not been in conformity with the general norms of the society.

However, the society also became more flexible in accepting the new changes for the convenience of the major groups or people. For example, the traditional dress code of the people in several nations was strictly followed in ancient period. In nations like China it was very strictly followed. However, now a days, people have several choices with the era of globalization and they prefer to have different models according to their convenience and taste. The Jeans has found its acceptability in China which is a good example for the flexibility of the society in accepting the new changes in people’s dress code.

This doesn’t lead to any social rejection in present day society. However, in several other aspects, the conformity to the general norms and beliefs of the society is very much essential for cultural preservation in different regions. References Baron, R. S,. Vandello, J. A. and Brunsman, B. (1996). The forgotten variable in conformity research: Impact of task importance on social influence. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 71: 915–927. Tornaritis, N. (2006). ClassicNotes : A Very Old Man With Enormous Wings.

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