Conformity and Obedience in American Society Today - Coursework Example

CONFORMITY AND OBEDIENCE IN AMERICAN SOCIETY TODAY The desire to be embraced and belong to a group is a human need that cannot be denied. In which way do these requirements affect an individual? Numerous experiments have been conducted by social psychologists, and it has been concluded that, through different forms of social influence, groups can transform the thoughts of its members, behavior, and feelings. Conformity and obedience have become part of the American life, and proactively changes the American culture. Conformity and obedience are heavily shaping individual’s private life, public lifestyle, social interactions, politics, and religion, and it has shaped America as we know today. Social control is developed by encouraging people to conform and behave in accordance with social norms, both through informal and formal means. Conformity is the action of matching beliefs, behaviors, and attitudes to group norms. The tendency to conform takes place in small groups and society as a whole, and may outcome from the influence of subtle unconscious or direct and through social pressure. Conformity may occur in other individuals’ presence, or when someone is alone. For example, people usually follow social norms when watching television or eating, regardless of whether someone else is present. Given that conformity is a group phenomenon, factors like group size, cohesion, unanimity, prior commitment, status, and public opinion assist determine the degree of conformity that an individuals (Breckler, et al. 2006). Persons of liberal persuasion today are concerned about the increasing pressure towards ideological conformity that is clear in all areas of American social life. There is a genuine fear that we are not as free as in the past to believe, think, and act as we choose. American society’s one value holds that everybody is at liberty to believe, act, and think in whichever way we want and even express our conviction without fearing of reprisal. This is possible as long as our behavior is not violating internets that are legitimately invested and the rights of others. Our actions are supposed to conform to accepted standards and rules of conduct so as to protect the lawful person, property, and the privileges of others but we have consistently maintained an ideological that certifies freedom of belief and thought. Though this doctrine has been violated and challenged continuously in the past, there is an increasing conviction that we have never faced in the past such consistent and steady pressure towards ideological conformity and this is not to politics alone, but in almost all levels of our economic and social lives as well. Evidence towards the pressure on ideological conformity is clear in the increasing professionalization of service occupation in American society. It is expected of the professional persons to internalize an appropriate set of beliefs and values which will make sure that the services offered are in line with the goals and interests of the client and the community that require or support those services. The curriculum of education and training in the field of social work is permeated with those values that are thought to be necessary for the successful pursuit of the professional. Hiring of the professional and promotion gift within the professional mainly focuses on philosophical and ethical convictions. As much as this same type of interest is increasingly evident in other professions, industry and business, it is really essential to social work because there are basically directed towards individuals who in some fashion or other have not been able to fulfill their expected role in the community. Consequently, employees of social work acquire a particular sensitivity to the challenge of values and the roles that they play in including deviant behavior or conforming (Caplow, et al. 1994). More than before, the society needs everybody comprehending the challenges that we face while having clarity of mind and compassion required to search and find solutions that are creative to this morass. For this, the current generation requires to be healthy, energetic, and myriad traps free that are currently offered by the American Society. We are given an opportunity to live a healthy, free, and lives that are prosperous in our country of abundance, yet the opposite is true at these times, as government expands beyond control, our health is abused at every turn, and schemes that are predatory off all kinds target us to trap us in belief systems that are false and destructive cultural paradigms, like wanton materialism and greed that is around us. The broad message to the majority of the people, today, is to conform and submit to norms and authority that is phony rather than establish an individual integrity, personal liberty, and real happiness. The current society beckons people to imitate others, to compete with other people for no end, to select a team and keep up with them till the bitter end, and to disregard the most critical virtues in life like intellect, spiritually, and compassion. This kind of behavior has led to the change of individuals’ private and public lifestyle since everyone has a strong desire to be accepted and be a member of a group (Block, J. E. 2002). It is believed that the current American society is the one that is affected most with conformity. As much as Americans chant with religious fervor regarding how much they have democracy and freedom, both domestic and abroad. This is not accurate if we go by ‘Actions speaks louder than words’. Looking at the effects of control and conformity in American society today, we will be able to make the record straight. In America, the truth is not the highest passion or idea. Neither is the democracy is a democracy or freedom, which is contrary to the myth. The nation is basically governed by a sense of ‘moral authoritarianism’, or ‘might makes right’ concept, which basically points out that ‘Authority is equal to the Truth’ rather than the actual truth per se. It is about conformity and obedience and the consensus that is manufactured (Kohn, et al. 1089). Today you are taught to trust everything the authority tells you, the agreement, and the media, even when it is not making sense to you and even when those sources have been identified not to be accurate enough. In other words, the current society does not think for itself, and this has significantly shaped the American culture in the country today. It is wrong to insult your intelligence, but again, in today’s America, authority and consensus are equal to the truth, and that’s the way it is. The mainstream media conforms to that, and it does not question it. It is the patriotic duty for all the citizens to go along with whatever they have been told. It looks like there is no real room to disagree, as much, as we are assured there, is, it’s like a contradiction. American people are taught to keep each other in line and check. Whenever someone gets out of the line and does not act in accordance with the hive mentality of the authority and the media which is regarded as the truth, then you are excluded from the society or a group and your peers psychologically attack you. In that regard, the elite have an impeccable form of mind control whereby the public keeps each other in line for them, without the necessity of troops or martial law. And the television, of course, is a technological instrument that has made conformity in America much easier. This type of conformity is what has actually shaped the American culture in the last few decades to date. It has changed our private and public lives, social interactions with others, political and religious views. People tend to identify themselves with a given group and try to blend in even if it means violating his/her principles. So basically, the American Society today is all about conformity to whatever the group you want to be associated with beliefs, or to whatever the media tell you, or to whatever the authority says, and/or the social consensus. Freethinking that is independent and truth seeking are not welcomed. All the while, America is viewed by the world as a free country. Total bull. It is a type of ‘Orwellian doublethink’ where someone is told one thing and provided another, and programmed to see the discrepancy. Although people around us may influence us more than it can be recognized by us, is up to us to whether to conform to the norm. But in some situations, decisions regarding how we act are somehow difficult. At times, we are led by someone who is more powerful to do things that you are against. Researchers who study obedience are particularly concerned of how people react whenever given a command or order from someone in an authoritative position. In many occasions, obedience in a beautiful thing. In early age, we are taught to obey our parents, police officers, teachers, etc. it is necessary to follow instructions from professionals like judges, lifeguards, and firefighters. A military can’t function if soldiers don’t obey orders from superiors. However, there is the dark side of obedience. In the name of ‘just doing my job’ or ‘following orders’, people can violate ethical principles and break laws. Unluckily, obedience usually is at the heart of among the human behaviors that are worst – atrocities, massacres, and even genocide. While conformity is changing so as to fit in a group, obedience has to do more with the degree of authority of the individual doing the influencing. If they are viewed as to be in charge or are perceived as an authoritarian kind of person, people are most likely to answer to him or her by acting in accordance with the request they make. This could be as a result of the dictatorial nature of the person, it may as well be as a result of fear of reprisal in the event the compliance is not forthcoming., obedience comes out when an individual act in a manner he or she may not usually act as a consequence of someone in an authoritative position ordering them to work so. This being the scenario, conformity is a lot more directly associated with social influence and pressure, while obedience not only consists of power and hierarchy element not essential for compliance but also influenced more by someone in an authoritative position than social influence. It is detrimental whenever it results to someone else pain i.e. mental anguish or physical pain. Whenever someone has the responsibility of causing such agony to another individual, disobedience in insubordination is the choice that is supposed to be taken. Whenever an individual goes as per the task of the authority and causes agony to someone else, they are considered to have lost their individuality and capability to make their choices. Once an individual blindly follows the authoritative directive figure, that person can conform to the majority if the superior has command over a lot of people. The problem of obedience to the authority has prevailed since the first human societies, and currently this challenge has become particularly crucial since the establishment of democracy has exerted force in the modern society to the development, where democratic rights and liberties usually raise the unwelcomed obedience to the authority. Many specialists are of the view that obedience to the authority is among the important issues influencing the development of modern civilization since a lot of advanced societies, such as the American Society, keeps on going forward because of stability within the community and due to the absence of conflict in the country. On the other hand, societies like American one are extremely developed democratic societies and can’t accept power misuse by the authorities that design obedience to the authority to be natural. However, the harmful matter with obedience is to the authority and if modern people still require to obey the authority or not prevails in the American community because the seemingly stability that exists in the American society is founded on the oppression of the minorities and development of total control of the ruling class and the middle and upper-classes over the whole society. In such a case, obedience to the authority comes out as the necessary condition of the stability of the society of the American people but it also proves to be a control tool for masses of people who are not satisfied, which has its boundaries and, in situation of excessive oppression of the minorities, it can result in the lead to social disobedience, like civil rights movements and movement of different kinds that can be threat to the social stability and that obedience to the authority to maintain human rights and liberties and the same opportunities to each and every member of the American Society. In the American society that is contemporary, obedience to the authority is the norm. Similarly, such an attitude to the authority and obedience is not new since historically, people also obeyed the authority. Obedience to the authority has a dominant role in the modern society of America. The American society is highly individualistic, where the part of personality was and is still crucial. The country is leader-oriented and, consequently, the country is traditionally obedient to the authority. In America, obedience is an essential condition of maintaining the current social order. In other words, through obedience, people agree to keep the social order that is existing and social relationships, preservation of status quo regardless of policy changes that are conducted by the authorities. Americans are used to the idea that the obedience to the authority rewards them with well-being and social order stability. At the same time, obedience in the society results from middle and upper-class domination in the US society. They understand that obedience to the authority is a guarantee for the preservation of status quo in the American community. Hence, through obedience to the authority, the middle and upper-class can maintain position, as much as their well-being is maintained by lower-class cost. In simple words, the authorities are able to conduct any policies as long as is in line with the interests of the middle and upper-class, who are always obedient because their positions are protected, whereas the lower-class’ position is always vulnerable to pressure from the side of the authority, who maintain the middle and upper-class’ position at the cost of the lower class. In such a case, obedience has been the tool of controlling the masses and it is conducted by the authority with the assist of various kinds of institutions and means, including law enforcement agencies, army, legal acts, laws, and the justice system that is existing. In fact, these institutions and means strive at controlling the large masses of humans under control using obedience. In such cases, the authority utilizes all means possible so as to meet the end that is desired, keeping the people obedient (Brueggemann, W. 1991). Authorities also utilize the power that is given to them by the society to maintain the social order that is existing. In addition, rules and/legal norms are established by the authorities, which helps in regulating relationships within the society, in addition to the relationship between the authorities and the people. This way, legal basis for obedience is created to the rules and legal norms that have been established in a condition that is essential to the normal life of an individual, whereas these standards violation leads inevitably to the limitation or punishment of individual rights and liberties. In such a way, it is in the interest of the authorities to maintain the obedience of the people because the more people are obedient, the more likely the authorities will be in power since it is the only through disobedience that people are able to overthrow the ruling class. Therefore, the ideology of obedience is a milestone in the modern American society’s thinking because the early childhood Americans are taught how crucial it is to be a good citizen and be obedient to the existing social standards and legal norms, whereas violating these standards and rules results to the exclusion of a person, who steadily moves towards ending up an outcast in the society that is obedient. At the same time, obedience is a concept that is not absolute and in the America society, obedience has never been overwhelming. This means that the American people have never before been in under the entire control of the authorities. It is a fact that the authorities have always tried to control the American society, and they have managed in this regard but still, they are responsible for their act and it is the people of America who decide if to remain the authorities in power or have an election so as to elect a new political force and give it the authority to carry domestic and international politics and describe precisely the United States’ future development. It is important noting that the American people have never been completely obedient to the authorities. They resolved to be obedient as long as long the policies and regulations that are carried out by the authorities are in line with the needs, interests and wants of the majority of the Americans. However, America does not admit to the impact that is overwhelming and control originating from the authorities. In fact, whenever their needs and interest are at stake, they disregard obedience and the authorities intentionally altogether (Meyer, et al. 1998). In conclusion, taking in account the above-mentioned roles played by obedience in America, it is important to note the fact that obedience to the authority is the nature of the current American society. Modern Americans have stayed obedient to the authority to keep the social order that exists. However, the authorities try to utilize the ideology of obedient to authority as a way of controlling the masses of people because disobedience means given punishments or limitations of rights and liberties. In addition, obedience is a guarantee of the existing social order stability. Obedience to the authority raises the unwelcome challenge of increasing impact of the influences on the American people social life to the extent that America can slip away from democracy to a state that is authoritarian. The modern American society readily obeys authorities as long as their interests and needs are met. The instant the policies that are carried out by the authorities goes against their needs and interests, social disobedience is launched so as to compel the authorities to carry out policies that are in public favor. Once the authorities meet their interests and needs of the majority, Americans become obedient again. It is evident that the obedience plays a major role in shaping the modern culture of the American people. References Block, J. E. (2002). A nation of agents: The American path to a modern self and society. Cambridge, Mass: Belknap Press of Harvard University Press. Breckler, S. J., Olson, J. M., & Wiggins, E. C. (2006). Social psychology alive. Belmont, Calif. [u.a.: Thomson/Wadsworth. Brueggemann, W. (1991). Interpretation and obedience: From faithful reading to faithful living. Minneapolis: Fortress Press. Caplow, T., & International Research Group on the Comparative Charting of Social Change in Advanced Industrial Societies. (1994). Recent social trends in the United States, 1960-1990. Montreal: McGill-Queens University Press. Kohn, M. L. (1989). Class and conformity: A study in values, with a reassessment, 1977. Chicago: University of Chicago Press. Meyer, D. S., & Tarrow, S. G. (1998). The social movement society: Contentious politics for a new century. Lanham: Rowman & Littlefield Publishers. Read More