The Idea of Change: How it Can Shape the World In relationships, there is potential for significant change. Charles Duhigg, author of “From Civil Rights to Megachurches,” shows how change has transpired over the years using elements that powered both the Montgomery bus boycott and the explosive growth of Saddleback Church. In particular, he “explores the power of relationships and social habits in creating large-scale change” (Duhigg 85). Other ideas from Kwame Anthony Appiah’s “Making Conversation” and “The Primacy of Practice”, as well as Helen Epstein’s, “AIDS, Inc.” make connections through some of Duhigg’s ideas. The ideas of strong ties and weak ties, conversation, and peer pressure are all tools we can use to make a difference in the …show more content…
Peer pressures “gain their authority through communal expectations,” meaning “if you ignore the social obligations of your neighborhood” you risk losing your social status (Duhigg 92). People are willing to do things the way society thinks things should be done to “fit in” with everyone else. This feeling of wanting to feel accepted makes us change our minds according to “the expectations of friends and the peer pressure of acquaintances” (Duhigg 94). The day of the Montgomery bus boycott, those who would ride the bus would “look bad”, so that turned into a pressure which made people choose a different way of transportation that day. With many other kinds of peer pressure, social cohesion is a positive type that “forms trusted relationships” and leads to “pragmatic behavior change” (Epstein 116). It changes the way people think about and approach situations, making it a type of positive peer pressure. Social cohesion has the ability to leverage conversation depending on the willingness of the members of a society to come together and talk openly to one another (Epstein 116). This type of peer pressure helped communities come together during the impact of AIDS in Africa. People openly talked about AIDS and personal experiences with the disease which has led to “pragmatic behavior change”. People, especially young of age, were encouraged to practice safe sex to prevent getting the disease. Although some peer pressures may have a negative impact towards someone, others might lead to change that can lead you to a better path in