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Conformity, Compliance, And Obedience Essay

1949 Words8 Pages

Abstract
Studies in social psychology can be seen all throughout human history as it continuously molds and alters our perceptions of the world around us. Recent research in social psychology indicates that surprisingly, we are not as in control as we would prefer to believe. Rather than our actions relying solely on morals along with the individual perceptions of our character, experimental evidence suggests that additional persistent influences impact one’s actions whether they are done willingly or completely outside of the human consciousness. It is rooted in human nature to comply and adapt to our environments, raising questions about this force's power and darker capabilities. Research has shown that there is notable compliance within …show more content…

The field of social psychology investigates how societal context affects people's actions, emotions, and attitudes. The ways in which individuals are impacted by the presence or actions of others is known as social influence and is a key concept in social psychology. Conformity, compliance, and obedience are just a few examples of the ways that society can affect us. Conformity is the propensity for people to modify their attitudes or behaviors in order to fit in with a community. Even if they disagree with the demands made of them, people often modify their behavior to comply with what they are expected of. Obeying authority figures' orders, even when they conflict with one's personal convictions or ideals, is referred to as being obedient (Myers et al., 2021), a strong component present within the aggressors of many historic genocides. This essay explores the concept of social influence and its effect on human behavior, looking at the standpoint of many background perpetrators of World War II and other violent events, how much can we relate and would we do the same in similar …show more content…

In different manners, conformity was crucial to World War II. During this time, there was an abundance of pressure to uphold national values and beliefs, which affected how individuals, governments, and society in its entirety made choices. Many acts of historic violence retained the involvement of many bystanders and assailants due to their community’s normalization of violence and discrimination. Within Newman and Erber’s journal on understanding the social psychology of the Holocaust, they state that “this allows perpetrators to see their destructive actions as acceptable and even right. As a result of their passivity in the face of others’ suffering, bystanders change: They come to accept the persecution and suffering of vic¬tims, and some even join the perpetrators” (Newman & Erber, 2002). During World War II, one of the most notable instances of conformity was the Nazi Party's use of propaganda to encourage adherence to their doctrine. To convince people to support their views and adhere to their leader, Adolf Hitler, they used public rallies, mass media, and other communication techniques. With one common idea being so prevalent within a group, it is hard to go against these views even with their harmful intentions. This becomes one of the strongest factors in deciding whether one would or would not comply with beliefs that go against their

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