Perry Benson Essays (420 words) - Conformity, Human Behavior

Perry Benson 10/19/2017 Journal Entry #4 Social Conformity - Conforming to the Norm Social conformity and the ability to bend ones self's own opinions to fit in with others are two very powerful phenomenons within human behavior and the study of psychology itself. Social conformity is defined as a type of social influence that results in a change of behavior or belief in order to fit in with a group. There are two types of social conformity, which are normative and informational conformity. The process of normative conformity is triggered when someone wants to be liked or accepted, while informational conformity occurs when someone has the desire to be correct. Cultural Conformity and Stereotypes https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=32OaLNdRXgg In the video above it displays the idea of social conformity, but with regarding outside opinion taken into account rather then the groups. The three men in the car have a very stereotypical appearance that most people would coincide with loud music, hip-hop, aggressiveness, rambunctious behavior, and disdain for less "manly" music per se. In the beginning they are seen listening to jazz music which doesn't correlate with the stereotypes listed above. When the group spots a pedestrian up the road at a red light their approaching, they quickly turn on hip-hop/rap music at a high volume to culturally appropriate their given stereotypical appearance and behavior to an outsiders viewpoint. After they are cleared of the stoplight and out of earshot to the pedestrian they turn back on the jazz music and continue driving. Social Conformity - Normative Social Influence https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xRH_DhiKaeQ What can also be described as social proof, normative social influence is a psychological phenomenon where people in specific social situations will mimic others, who are usually familiar in the social setting, and assume the actions of others to reflect "correct" behavior to be accepted. This is performed with the idea in mind to fit in and be well liked/accepted by others. This phenomenon is just one of the unwritten rules that guide and govern our social behavior. In the video above it includes a clip from the show "friends" which Rachael has started a new job as a non smoker surrounded by other smokers. Right off the bat she is already unfamiliar with the social setting because of her non-smoking nature. The clip continues on and her boss along with 2 colleagues leave to go smoke outside. Rachael follows along and after a few moments feels uncomfortable because she does not fit into her new environment socially. To remedy this issue she takes someone elses cigarette and includes herself into the group practicing the reactive response to the concept of normative social influence.