Two Forms of Social Conformity, Essay Example

Thanksgiving is popular American holiday that is celebrated on the fourth Thursday of every November, and families often gather together to indulge in copious amount of food and drink while also watching football all day. Such American rituals eschew the purpose of Thanksgiving as a holiday in which the indigenous peoples aided the British colonists survive in the so-called New World, eventually leading to the establishment of America at the expense of the Native Americans. Nonetheless, various rituals of gathering together to share in expressing gratitude towards family and friends for everything in their lives takes hold of American families on this special holiday. It is fascinating that in group settings on such a momentous holiday often engage in behaviors that they conventionally do not partake in. There is a certain psychology in shared meals and family traditions that surround Thanksgiving, and a particular occasion that occurred was reminiscent of the social psychology concept of conformity, which refers to the act of matching behaviors to group norms. My brother abstains from consuming alcohol due to the fact that he desires to lead an active and healthy lifestyle, and alcohol consumption not only negatively impacts his cognitive processes but also his overall physical health for several days thereafter. However, he recently got engaged, so Thanksgiving was not only being celebrated as an important American holiday but also as a celebration for his recent engagement. Family celebrations often involve consuming alcohol, and since the family was celebrating with red wine, he decided that he would also drink some wine. While a minute occurrence, this incident underscored how conformity greatly impacts human behaviors in certain situations. By agreeing to drink wine in celebration, my brother implicitly acquiesced to the norms and tacit rules that were shared by my family members. It is also normative for members of society as a whole to engage in consuming alcohol in celebratory events such as an engagement and/or national holiday.

References

Beloff, H. (1958). Two forms of social conformity: Acquiescence and conventionality. The Journal of Abnormal and Social Psychology, 56(1), 99–104