Obedience and Conformity
Obedience can be termed as an act in which one responds or adheres to certain instructions from a higher authority without questioning. As a result, obedience allows individuals to follow guidelines and instructions as per by-laws within society, school, homes and other social places. Conversely, conformity is acting in accordance to the desire of other people in a group to avoid being considered an outcast (Sloan et al., 2009).
Comparison
Both traits are sociological norms depicted by human beings in society. In both cases, an individual must change his or her behavior to correspond to the demand of the dominant group (Sloan et al, 2009). According to social psychologists, the presence of these traits in society enhances mutual and peaceful co-existence.
Moreover, people use the traits to seek comfort and overcome the consequences derived from denial and disobedience. In this case, obedience helps one to avoid punishment while conformity keeps one off from unpleasant feeling of indifference (Sloan et al, 2009).
These traits regulate behavior of people in the society by ensuring that personal outlooks do not maneuver societal norms. For instance, when one fails to obey or conform to a group norm, they are disapproved hence feel as outcasts. Vividly, these traits involve total compliance to what is perceived as right in a group,
Contrast
In spite of the fact that the two characteristics are necessary and vital in analyzing behavior, they are prevalent in one way or the other among groups. In this case, there exist credible differences in the two aspects (Sloan et al, 2009). However, the two concepts are frequently confused as they almost mean the same thing. According to psychologists, conformity involves yielding to group and peer pressures (McCloskey, & Berman, 2003).
Thus, an individual is compelled to act in a certain way in order to please his peers. Conformity comes out of an individual will to make a social group feel happy. On the other hand, obedience is an act of acting upon instructions in the desired way. Obedience aligns with authority from superior figure such as parents, teachers or administrators.
Notably, an individual obeys in order to overcome unpleasant impacts such as punishments. Nevertheless, conformity is out of individual choice and it is voluntary to fit in a particular social group (McCloskey, & Berman, 2003).
Exclusively, obedience comes about as a result of minority convincing the majority on the way to work out certain issues (Sloan et al, 2009). In contrast to this, conformity involves the minority being influenced by the majority view. Obedient has a specific demand amid conformity whose demands are implicit.
The Effect of Group Influence on the Self
A classical study analysis
Social groups have much potential to influence people’s behavior and their altitudes. Sociologists confirm that, social influences affect peers or people in the same group through conformity. Empirical research studies on this subject reveal that individuals are likely to lose their identity in order to conform to desires of other people in a social group.
As already mentioned, the latter case is mostly common where individuals belong in specific groups that have been formed to carry out unique functions. most cases, people use conformity as a tool of enhancing peaceful and meaningful co-existence in society since it was considered to be an ideal worth emulating (McCloskey & Berman, 2003).
Furthermore, social conformity may lead an individual into unethical and unacceptable behavioral patterns and as are spoil the reputation of the affected person.
It is against this backdrop that social influencing institutions like schools and churches tend to negatively alter or influence individuals’ character leading to denial of personal identity (Sloan et al., 2009). A comparative study done on social groups illustrated that individual feeling and actions are highly dependent on social pressure.
It is vivid that human being is a social creature who seeks fitness for comfort and to enhance belongingness. Although people have different perspectives toward certain characters, majority have conformed to undesired traits to avoid disapproval from acquaintances as well as friends (Sloan et al., 2009).
A good example is whereby teenagers have indulged into drug abuse and sexual immorality because their peers are also doing the same. Some people feel neglected hence and as a result, they end up engaging in bad habits contrary to the expectations of the established settings. Some people would change their personal identities due to the continued change of social institutions.
For instance, obedience may be experimented by individuals who feel that they are either neglected or less important in society or by those who face extreme pressure from authority.
In the latter case, it may happen due to the fact that such people have no other option to pull themselves out. This implies that conformity and obedience can ruin the self of an individual in the sense that both of these traits may extremely impact individuals in either way.
Analyzing a contemporary example
There are several contemporary and upcoming issues that are as a result of group influence to the self (McCloskey & Berman, 2003). According to the retrospective study conducted in higher educational institutions, it is evident that students’ behaviors have been largely manipulated by peer group influences.
For instance, it is vital to mention that strikes and violent acts have become rampant in high schools and higher learning institutions. An empirical research conducted on some the underlying causes of this aggressive attitude towards authority revealed that peer influence in these learning institutions is to blame (McCloskey & Berman, 2003).
Needless to say, According to social psychologists, it is evident that social influence plays a vital role in determining behavior of students in schools. This implies that, there are motivation factors that accelerate deviance in should be decimated. This will ensure that, students only conform to appropriate norms and behaviors within the institutions and to the desired manner (McCloskey, & Berman, 2003).
Individual and Societal Influences That Lead to Deviation From Societal Norms
Individuals and society influence each other for various reasons (Bourgeis, Sommer & Bruno, 2009). In most cases, the interaction and influence is exhibited for the purpose of ensuring meaningful sustenance, accuracy and control. According to researchers, it is evident that with mutual existence, both the society and individuals influence each other socially.
It is apparent that there is always a reason as to why an individual or society often succumbs to social influence. Most Studies on conformity and obedience have revealed that any form of conformity to social influence can lead to deviation from the dominant societal norms (Bourgeis, Sommer & Bruno, 2009). This normally occurs when a dominant party, be it the society or an individual with deviant behavior, challenges the opponent.
Eventually, the opponent falls for the opinion of the dominant group to overcome rejection alongside boosting their esteem. Indeed, this may be a complicated scenario in a bid to understand conformity and obedience. According to social psychologists, a group of people might have a common goal or aim to achieve.
It is imperative to note that not all opinions, aims or objectives may be accepted to be morally right bearing in minds that there are those who may decide to deviate from the usual norms prescribed by the very society they live in (Bourgeois, Sommer & Bruno, 2009). At this point, the society as the dominant party will seek to win individuals to conform to their thoughts, opinions and perspectives.
Overwhelmingly, the minor party will be compelled to conform to the view of the society without considering their emotional and interpersonal impacts. On the other hand an individual can influence a group or society into positive social phenomena such as obedience and compliance to moral ethics (Bourgeis, Sommer & Bruno, 2009).
Nevertheless, loss of influence or ability to influence can cause evasiveness and deviance from the group or the society. Evidence reveals that when there is failure to influence an individual to the desired target this causes dislike, rejection and deviant acts emerge against the socially accepted ethics (Bourgeis, Sommer & Bruno, 2009).
Summing up, it is vital to reiterate that conformity and obedience are closely related terms although they vastly differ both in meaning and application since both of then are intrinsic sociological norms.
References
Bourgeis, J., Sommer, K. & Bruno, S. (2009). What do we get out of influencing others? Social influence, 4 (2), 96–121.
McCloskey, S. & Berman, E. (2003). Alcohol intoxication and self-aggressive behavior. Journal of Abnormal Psychology, 112, 306-311.
Sloan, A. et al. (2009).Group Influences on Self-Aggression: Conformity and Dissenter Effects. Journal of Social and Clinical Psychology, 28(5), 535-553.