Essentials of Sociology. George Ritzer

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      Conformity to the Group

      We have seen that group members generally conform to certain aspects of the group with which they prefer to identify. Some conformity is clearly necessary for a group to survive. If everyone “did his or her own thing,” or went his or her own way, there would be no group. But too much conformity can have disastrous consequences. A central issue in the sociological study of groups has been the degree to which members conform to the expectations and demands of the group, despite their own misgivings.

      A series of experiments, conducted by Solomon Asch (1952), showed the power of the group to promote conformity. Asch demonstrated that its power is so great that it may override an individual’s own judgments and perceptions. In one of the experiments, groups of seven to nine students were assembled. All but one (the subject) were confederates of the researcher. All but the subject knew the details of the experiment. Only the subject believed that the experiment was investigating vision. Each group was shown two cards, one with one vertical line on it and a second with three such lines (see Figure 4.3). One of the lines on the second card was the same length as the line on the first card. The other two lines were clearly different. All the students were asked to choose the line on the comparison card that matched the single line on the reference card. As they had been instructed, each of the confederates chose, out loud, one of the wrong lines. The subjects were always positioned last in their groups. When the subjects’ turns came, about a third of them conformed to their groups’ erroneous choice and selected the same wrong line. They made the wrong choice even though they apparently knew it was the wrong choice.

      Description

      Figure 4.3 Solomon Asch’s Conformity Experiment Cards

      Source: Solomon Asch’s Conformity Experiment Cards is adapted from Solomon E. Asch, Opinions and Social Pressure, Scientific American, 193 (1955), pp. 31–35.

      There is no question that some people conform to group demands at least some of the time. Conformity is especially likely when the demands come from someone in authority in the group. However, it is important to remember that about two-thirds of the choices made by subjects in the Asch conformity experiments indicated independence from the group. It is also important to note that these experiments are decades old, and many of them occurred in a period of American history more defined by conformity than the era we are in today.

      This chapter has focused largely on such micro-level phenomena as individuals, interaction, and groups. In Chapter 5, we turn to the progressively more macro-level phenomena of organizations, societies, and the globe as a whole. ●

      Summary

      The sociological perspective on the individual and the self focuses on the social interactions humans are capable of having with each other. Cooley’s concept of the looking-glass self, the idea that humans develop self-images reflecting the way in which others respond to them, is fundamental to sociology. Symbolic interactionism posits that humans use significant symbols, such as gestures and language, to develop a sense of self. George Herbert Mead defined the self as the ability to take oneself as an object. Once individuals are able to internalize the perspective of a group or community, they come to possess a sense of the generalized other. According to Mead the self is composed of two parts, the “I” that is impulsive and the “me” that is conformist.

      Erving Goffman believed that in every interaction, or performance, individuals attempt to manage projections of themselves. On a front stage, they operate in an idealized manner, but on a back stage, they can more freely express themselves.

      Socialization is the process through which a person learns and generally comes to accept the ways of a group or of a society as a whole. Primary socialization begins with newborns and infants and continues over the course of their childhood during anticipatory socialization. Socialization does not end with childhood—adults continue to be socialized throughout their lives. Our families, peers, workplaces, and the media are important agents of socialization.

      Socialization involves interaction, or social engagement, between two or more individuals. Some interaction involves reciprocity, or the expectation that those involved in it will give and receive equally, while other interactions transpire between those with power and their subordinates. Interaction is deeply involved in people’s statuses and their related roles.

      Patterns of interaction and social relationships that occur regularly and persist over time become social structures. A group is one type of social structure that develops when individuals interact over time and develop a patterned relationship. A small, close-knit group with intimate face-to-face interactions is a primary group. A secondary group is larger and more impersonal; its members do not know each other very well.

      Key Terms

       achieved status, 112

       agents of socialization, 102

       anticipatory socialization, 103

       ascribed status, 112

       back stage, 102

       conversation analysis, 111

       cyberbullying 107

       dramaturgy, 99

       dyad, 113

       front stage, 102

       game stage, 97

       generalized other, 98

       gestures, 96

       group, 115

       “I,” 99

       impression management, 100

       in-group, 115

       interaction, 110

       interaction order, 111

       looking-glass self, 95

       master status, 112

       “me,” 99

       micro–macro continuum, 94

       mind, 97

       out-group, 115

       play stage, 97

       primary groups, 115

       primary socialization, 102

       reciprocity, 111

       reference groups, 115

       resocialization, 108

       reverse socialization, 103

       role, 112

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