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Individuality and Conformity
Individuality and Conformity
Individuality and Conformity
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Many people assume that being a conformist is fine because you fit in into groups. Even though being a conformist might be okay have you ever thought about being an individual ? Quit being a follower and start being a leader. Think about it if you were in a classroom and all of a sudden there is an earthquake but you see no-one moving, what do you do ? do you move for your safety or do you stay so that you won't look like a fool.
Conformity can be very crucial, infact a lot of people eventually start hurting themselves or doing drugs just because they don't feel themselves anymore.Why can't society change? why can't that one kid that always follows everyone in the back can turn into the kid that just hangs with the people they really wanna hang with?We need to embrace ourselves so we can stop all this conformity from consuming us.Tupac was a nonconformist, he always did what made him happy and always told the truth.
There are a lot of people that might disagree and argue with me. Some people might argue that being a leader is boring and can be embracing, why not fit in with society. However, I know from personal experience that not fitting in and being yourself can be really fun, and it can be embracing at first but you have to get over that and then its fun. Some people might ever like you more than what you were pretending to be, and may even follow you and be themselves. Everyone has tried to conform once in their life and I see it everyday, so I want you to pay attention and look for people changing and
The most popular age to do so are teenagers as one can depict. If all people conformed to one another, individuality would never be heard of. An opposite way to think of this is that without conformity, the common society would not be able to work together. People tend to believe this due to the fact that without agreement, there is chaos. No one would have courage to stand up for what they believe in, what they like, and most importantly, who they are. One will usually believe that after conforming to fit others for a while, one may begin to lose themselves. All in all, conforming may seem to be the only option to people in order not drag attention to themselves in certain situations. In these situation types, you must find courage within yourself to have the ability to not overlook what you believe
In society, it's difficult to go against the norm. Individuals are compelled to act a specific way, or look a specific way in order to be accepted. For instance, teenagers may encounter pressure from their peers to partake in specific exercises that may not be moral, since they feel the need to fit in. This weight of conformity isn't just present in reality; it can be found in literature as well. The story "St. Lucy’s Home For Girls Raised by Wolves" by Karen Russell depicts that in order to conform to society, individuals abandon their selflessness and compassion and become selfish and apathetic.
Pursuing a personal desire and choosing to conform to societal expectations is a challenging decision to make. A person must decide if their personal desire is worth risking the shame and judgment of others or is conforming the route to take because it is easier. When pursuing a personal desire one must ask itself if it is worth the hardship to accomplish one's desire or if it is best left alone and repressed, in hopes of finding comfort in conformity. John Laroche from The Orchid Thief expresses his personal desire without a care for conformity or societal expectations. Nevertheless, Laroche never stopped being strange as he grew up with fascinations of many objects such as orchids, turtles, old mirrors and fish tanks.
The definition of conformity is the compliance with social standards and laws in a particular culture, environment, society and time. If this occurs the individual changes their attitudes, beliefs or actions to align more holistically with those in the surrounding groups and environment, as a result of real or perceived group pressure. This is ultimately a direct result of the power which a group has over the individual. There are two types of conformity, normative conformity, and informational conformity. The motivation behind normative conformity is the desire to be liked and accepted in society. This is most widely known as peer pressure. For example, a student begins smoking because their peers
Conformity can often seem like the best path to take in a situation. Going along with everyone else will cause less conflict for the group as a whole. Unfortunately conforming simply to protect other people's feelings can lead to powerful internal conflicts if a person does not fully agree with the situation. Ruth from A Raisin in the Sun, Langston from "Salvation," and Mama from "Everyday Use," all felt internal conflicts resulting from conformity.
At times it's good to conform with the rest of the group because it can give us benefits in life. In Jerry Spinelli's Stargirl he asks the reader to consider whether it is good or bad to conform. Leo is the main character in the story. Stargirl is a really important outsider who changes Leo’s perspective of how he lives. Leo forces Stargirl to conform to the group, but it doesn't turn out very well. She ends up being popular but deep inside she is feeling really sad. Leo learns a lot from Stargirl, but the main thing that he learns is that you can’t force people or their personality to change just to fit in.
Conformity can be useful when in unfamiliar surroundings or activities. Several examples make their appearance everyday like dancing. Dancing is a fun activity, but when it’s unclear what kind of dancing to do. What happens then? It’s in everyone’s best interest to mimic the people who know what they’re doing to avoid embarrassment. In some way or another, everyone has done it throughout their life but it is really handy in the right
Common sense tells us to go with the crowd not to go against it. What would you do, go with it or be different and stand out?
Conformity and Obedience in Society The desire to be accepted and belong to a group is an undeniable human need. But how does this need affect an individual? Social psychologists have conducted numerous experiments and concluded that, through various forms of social influence, groups can change their members’ thoughts, feelings, and behavior. In her essay “Group Minds,” Doris Lessing discusses our paradoxical ability to call ourselves individuals and our inability to realize that groups define and influence us.
Conformity affects society in more ways than one. It can help people come together and work in harmony to contribute to society, however it can also hold individuals back from being themselves and making changes. The short story “Anthem” and the article “Leopard Man” go into great detail about the positive and negative aspects of conformity. “Anthem” encourages individualism and the freedom to express one’s self, while “Leopard Man” explains how conformity is beneficial to society.
In Brave New World, Aldous Huxley warned of a person's need to conform and how it can lead to dismal future. Conformity has a large impact on the thoughts and behaviors of the people that live in the “World State” in the book, as well as people in our own contemporary society. It seems that a persons need to conform comes from his or her need to fit in. While it can allow people to be happy, it can have many harmful effects on people if taken too far.
Unfortunately The word conformity has a lot of negative connotations for people in our society, To conform is on the one hand seen as being able to distinguish and act in accordance with the pro-social norms of a group and can be seen as tolerance and flexibility, but when these norms are seen by another group to be reprehensible or unacceptable the conformity will be seen as weak and feeble. (McDermott 1993, Psychology, A European Text, Zimbardo, McDermott, Jansz and Metall, 1993)
...either hasten their own delivery, not resist it" (2767). Would it really be that bad to be an individualist instead of conforming to the crowd? I do not think so.