The Obligation to Obey
It has been said that as long as the human species is in a living state conformity shall be part of how human society functions and part of man's natural tendencies. The more people already agree upon or share a particular idea, the more easily a newcomer will in turn be converted to that idea, and the more difficult it will be for one already converted to reject that idea. Therefore, man will most likely obey to what the majority believes is correct, even if he had a different point of view; he will convert and learn to reject all other ideas that do not match to the majority's idea. This not only allows the newcomer to feel welcomed, yet it may also give him sense of belonging and of safety. This is the primary reason for why man is so prone and willing to obey. People who study conformity, not only by current experiments but also by looking at humanity's history regarding conformity, find that these tendencies have existed as long as Homo sapiens have belong to groups or tribes. However, when it came time to make a critical decision among the people, the majority always determined it; leaving the minority with the responsibility of having to carry out actions they didn't necessarily agree with. Therefore, peop
One may also look at this type of obligation as evolution, so to speak. In Solomon Asch's article, Opinions and Social Pressure, he says, "A child masters his 'native' dialect down to the finest nuances; a member of a tribe of cannibals accepts cannibalism as altogether fitting and proper. All the social sciences take their departure from the observation of the profound effects that groups exert on their members (Asch 336)." Here he is telling us that what may seem ill and inferior to one group of people may be proper to another; it's the action of perceiving and observing of what is normal that allows them to do the same on their own. This is how one may compare conformity as evolution; to a certain extent. We all literally begin as individuals early in our lives, however, we begin that phase of metamorphosis once a tribe, group, or society starts to lay upon us their customs: their do's and don'ts. And in this very manner, do the same to our children; creating a chain of customs that may last for centuries. So, why is man so prone (or forced) to obey? The major idea is that human nature (to force others to obey) is the main artery that descends to new forms of making people convert to something that is set upon them. We know that it is human nature to form groups, we also know that in most groups there are leaders or a majority who say what is going to be done and what is going to be believed, thus man's tendencies to obey come naturally. Man also has the tendency to seek safety and a sense of belonging within groups of people of a certain kind, therefore, obedience is not always a choice someone makes on their own, but rather it's a choice that is naturally given to them by the given atmosphere. In other words, society is in charge of how someone is going to react, change, or to what degree someone will conform. When we belong to a group of people, such as a club at school, a group of friends, etc., group cohesiveness is what may keep the group thinking and believing the same ideas over and over. Heylighen
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Approximate Word count = 1375
Approximate Pages = 6 (250 words per page double spaced)
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