What Is The Crucible A Cautionary Tale About Forced Group Conformity

Sofia Calabrese Mayette Advanced American Studies 24 April 24 The Crucible: A Cautionary Tale About Forced Group Conformity In a late 1960s class experiment, a teacher by the name of Ron Jones attempted to teach his students about how history has shown that the fear of not fitting in has, time and time again, caused horrible events to occur. He performed and called this experiment “Third Wave” by informing his students that he was starting a movement to eliminate democracy. Throughout this study, students were quick to follow along with Jones, even if the experiment held questionable ideals. Jones eventually found that his innocent test had turned out of his control, eventually having to shut it down. Similarly to the school experiment gone wrong, the effects of group

When people are forced into a community, such as a town or a classroom, they tend to hold the same ideals or perspectives as those they are often around. This can be taken a step further by examining how collective actions occur, specifically harmful ones. Just like following the same values as someone because of forced group compliance, an individual can follow certain unfavorable actions that a group might do, bringing out the worst in that individual. This action of following along with others, even if it means doing something horrible, can be seen when the “Third Wave” leader Jones, “made up a salute resembling that of the Nazi regime and ordered class members to salute each other even outside the class. They all obeyed this command” (“The Third Wave” 1). The Nazi salute is historically a harmful symbol because of the implications of fascism, destruction, and loyalty to Adolf Hitler that comes with it. This was the reason Jones decided to choose it as his group's salute. This helps further the idea that the movement he is ‘creating’ is full of terrible ideas that no individual without the pressure of the group would