The persuasive article “Individuality vs. Conformity: The Healthy Middle” focuses on that there is a healthy middle. She supports her claim by stating “from small societal groups to our government, and from the liberal arts to social sciences.” The writer 's purpose was to persuades to look for that healthy middle for we be like other that are conformists. The author writes in a persuasive style for audience could change to find the middle. Of Aristotle 's three rhetorical appeals, the author of “Conformity vs. Individuality: A healthy Middle?” uses Pathos most effectively to get the reader to look for the healthy balance between Individuality and Conformity
Individuality’s Role in Society Anthem is a dystopian novel written by Russian author Ayn Rand in 1937. Ayn Rand was avid about the importance of the individual, and she supported a hands off government, where the people define and sustain themselves. Ayn Rand’s interest in the government’s effect on society certainly led into her creation of Anthem. At the start of the novel, Equality 7-2521, the protagonist, writes from a secluded tunnel and shares about the dystopian society he lives in which prevents education, and individualism. The society prevents individuals from learning on their own, having questions, doubting their elders, and threatens any sort of rebellion or individuality with extreme punishment.
Conformity can be defined as a change in beliefs or actions as a reaction to real or imagined group pressure. In the podcast Vedantam, the host, asks Bavel to address one of the most controversial soccer games of all time. During the 1966 World Cup finals between England and Germany a questionable goal awarded to England by the refs caused a debate, as it seems like the ball never actually found its way into the net. The German fans believe that the ball did not go in and the English fans believe it do which shows group conformity. Bavel explains that the groups we associate ourselves with, such as sports teams, lead us to make decisions and assumptions that cater to the benefit of our group.
Now conformity is said to be “the world’s most common but dangerous psychological disorder”. To be a conformist, you listen to society, you follow society’s demands, and you crave society’s attention. But to be a nonconformist, you do the opposite. You are an independent individual: “To be human is to be an individual human, with individual tastes, talents, values, and dreams” (Feys 1). Society takes all this away from you even though you want to be your unique self.
Individuality VS. Conformity: The Healthy Middle? The author in the article, Individuality VS. Conformity: The Healthy Middle? discuses, on how most of high school students try to fit in but also try to be different at the same time. The author supports her discussion by Illustrating different types of examples that make us different but that also make it difficult to fit in, like: “What about the kid who confesses to his best friend that he’s gay, and then looks up to meet a horrified expression?”
Janie finds out that her second attempt to marriage does not give what she desires, and it is only in her “condemned” marriage that Janie finally achieves her true love and happiness. After marrying Jody, Janie was deceived into thinking she was living a high-class life, but in reality was confined even more in this marriage than her last one. Janie is not allowed to participate in any town events that are ruled as un-lady like by Jody. On the outside, Janie is restricted to the general store or the house, but in those times she would constantly question why she was not able to behave like a man. It is only when Janie marries Tea Cake, a man younger than her, that she achieves her quest of finding true love and subsequently her happiness.
The Influence of Conformity The lack of individuality, knowledge, and true intimacy beyond meaningless sexual relationships depicts the persona of perfection. ‘’There’s beauty in the struggle “(00:01:00-00:01:001) said well known poet Jermaine Cole, humans as a being are uniquely made each strand of DNA compose in our body differs from the next. Brave New World attempts to portray the image of being an utopian society yet the citizens aren't truly satisfied. Helmholtz epitomizes the failure of conditioning and the result of suppressed emotions. To other citizens, this man is completely happy because he has everything that makes him a true Alpha , but in reality, he becomes depressed and despondent to the world.
In the post-apocalyptic wasteland of Boston, it is crucial to be able to make decisions and make them correctly. Fallout 4 is an exploration of a desolated world that once thrived on nuclear technology and embraced a 50’s esque culture. The Fallout series is known “to uphold an ironic distance between the wastelands the player explores and the past these spaces gesture back to” (Pemberton). The game challenges the social norms and themes of the 50’s culture that it inherits. Ideality, prosperity, and conformity are examples of themes of the 50’s and even today that Fallout 4 explores.
The video “Cognitive Dissonance” discusses the concept of cognitive dissonance. Cognitive dissonance is stated to be the result of two cognitions, thoughts or beliefs, competing with each other. When faced with this dissonance, a person will tend to change his beliefs and attitudes to match his behavior. Actually, a person is more likely to change his beliefs if he cannot justify his behavior. As an illustration, a 1959 psychology experiment is recounted.
There are two main types of conformity: informational and normative. Informational refers to when you take in other’s determinations in the event when you are unsure of the context. Informative is used when one is searching for accuracy in a situation. Normative conformity is when a person adjusts their views in order to blend in with the majority. The use for normative conforming is purely based on social order.
Finally, To fit in or to Be yourself or…? well that 's a personal question who will you be; will you go along with conformity like Ms.Mcgregor believes we should because it runs society smoother. Furthermore will you be yourself like Thoreau believes we should, and not be dependent on other people. Or… will you find the healthy middle like a young author that wrote “Conformity vs. Individuality: A healthy middle” says “delicate balance between complete individuality and complete uniformity” she is trying to say that there is balance between individuality and conformity.
For an utopian society to exist, there needs to be a merging of conformity and individualism in the society. Pure individualism or pure conformity in a society leads to a lopsided and corrupted society; they need to exist in synchrony. In Merry Mount, the people follow an ideology of complete freedom of thought and of individualism. The Puritan’s society shows what happens when everyone conforms and no one expresses their individual beliefs. When the ideologies of conformity and individualism merge it combines into a greater society as a whole, better than either of the individual half’s.
World War II was the deadliest war in history, resulting in over 50 million military and civilian deaths. The Second World War lasted from 1939 to 1945, and involved many countries from around the world. There were two opposing groups of countries, the Axis Powers- Germany, Italy and Japan- and the Allied Powers- the Soviet Union, France, Britain, Australia, the United States of America and China. Several significant causes are to blame for the horrific event that would forever change the history of the world.
Having for instance to act like I care for Big Mama!—I haven 't been able to stand the sight, sound, or smell of that woman for forty years now!—even when I laid her!” (110) Social conformity is a type of social influence that results in a change in one’s behavior or belief
The author, Castells (2001), mentioned in this book that the new pattern of sociability in our societies is characterized by networked individualism. It is not the Internet that creates a pattern of networked individualism, but the development of the Internet provides an appropriate material support for the diffusion of networked individualism as the dominant form of sociability. This paper aims to trace the concept of networked individualism and social network revolution as used by the author based from the original work of Barry Wellman. In his book, “The Network Society”, Castells (2005) stated that technology does not determine society: it is society.
