Conformity Experiment

Quick Write: One time I did something because other people were doing it was in middle school. All of my friends were cutting school to go downtown, Manhattan. It was a fun experience but I only did it since my friends wouldn't be with me in class. One time I decided not to follow others was two summer's ago when my best friend and her friends went my building roof to smoke. I didn't go because I knew it was a terrible idea and didn't want to be around them anymore.

                I answered the following questions based on the Group Conformity Experiment.
Question 1: Based on this sentence, write down your own definition of “conformity” or “conform.”
"A lot of girls in school – including Johanna's best friend, Sarah – were dying their hair orange, but Johanna refused to conform, stating that she preferred her natural color."
-  My own definition of "conformity" or "conform" is to act as others around you would act. Follow the acts of others to try to fit in.

Question 2: How do you think conformity and obedience are similar? How do you think they are different?
-  Conformity is to do things like others in order to fit in and not to be the "different" one. Obedience is following orders or rules. Conformity and obedience are different because acting on conformity is something you want to do for comfort while around people. However obedience is an act for showing respect to others.

Question 3:
(a) What does the Asch Experiment demonstrate? Explain. 
-  The Asch experiment demonstrates how an individual can act around a group when others disagree with them.

(b) Given what you’ve learned, do you think you're more of a conformist or an individual? How has this benefited you and/or worked against you in the past?
-  I think I'm both an conformist and an individual but more of an individual. Being an conformist only happens when I'm around my friend's or cousin's. I'm more of an individual because I do have different opinions and ideas than most people I do know. Both have benefited me and worked against me in the past.

(c) Is conformity good or bad? Consider these situations: driving laws, Nazism, the Holocaust, body image, religion, and clothing styles.
-  Depending on the situations, conformity can be good and bad. For the situations of driving laws, Nazism, the Holocaust, and body image, conformity is bad because people will agree with others for these terrible issues only to fit in. However for clothing styles and religion conformity can be a good thing because some people dress or have the same religion as their family. They conform to what their loved ones are used to or what they do.  

(d) Can you think of other instances where people might conform?

- One instance people might conform is in a group discussion. I have been in some socratic seminars in my english class and I have now realized that some people will change their mind on what they think. When you explain your thought or claim to someone they can turn out to agree more than at first.