Conformity
Social Conformity
“The Eye of the Beholder”
Sociology 101
October 14, 2013
Would individuals accept ridiculous or extreme practices in order to look like the idyllic person society tells us to identify with? According to statistics released by the American Society of Plastic Surgeons (ASPS), 14.6 million cosmetic plastic surgery procedures were performed in the United States in 2012. 14.6 million people conform each year to what society defines as beauty. No one wants to be the odd one, therefore we transform, we familiarize, and we alter ourselves to what society finds suitable. It’s our human nature to want to feel the sense of belonging; no one wants to be rejected by those surrounding them, which leads to conformity. The Asch Experiment is a perfect example of conforming to a social role. Participant’s entered a small crowded elevator four out of five subjects were told to face opposite of the opening elevator doors; leaving one test subject oddly facing forward in the accustomed manner. Subtly and slowly the eccentric of the five begins to alter his position to compliment that of his peers—conforming by mute obedience and compliance. The episode from “The Twilight Zone: Eye of the Beholder” contains characters portraying the three types of conformity. First we meet Janet Tyler; she is a woman with “facial deformities” in a totalitarian society that emphasizes conformity in every possible way including physical appearance. In one of her scenes she strongly says “I want to be like everyone else” what she’s implying by that is she has identified with the idea that her physical appearance is grotesque and abnormal. She takes part in the extremity of surgical intervention in attempts to alter or “normalize” her facial features (millions of men and women do this today). Being born physically different from everyone, and believing she’s the odd one, leads Ms. Tyler to fall under the prime example of
“The Eye of the Beholder”
Sociology 101
October 14, 2013
Would individuals accept ridiculous or extreme practices in order to look like the idyllic person society tells us to identify with? According to statistics released by the American Society of Plastic Surgeons (ASPS), 14.6 million cosmetic plastic surgery procedures were performed in the United States in 2012. 14.6 million people conform each year to what society defines as beauty. No one wants to be the odd one, therefore we transform, we familiarize, and we alter ourselves to what society finds suitable. It’s our human nature to want to feel the sense of belonging; no one wants to be rejected by those surrounding them, which leads to conformity. The Asch Experiment is a perfect example of conforming to a social role. Participant’s entered a small crowded elevator four out of five subjects were told to face opposite of the opening elevator doors; leaving one test subject oddly facing forward in the accustomed manner. Subtly and slowly the eccentric of the five begins to alter his position to compliment that of his peers—conforming by mute obedience and compliance. The episode from “The Twilight Zone: Eye of the Beholder” contains characters portraying the three types of conformity. First we meet Janet Tyler; she is a woman with “facial deformities” in a totalitarian society that emphasizes conformity in every possible way including physical appearance. In one of her scenes she strongly says “I want to be like everyone else” what she’s implying by that is she has identified with the idea that her physical appearance is grotesque and abnormal. She takes part in the extremity of surgical intervention in attempts to alter or “normalize” her facial features (millions of men and women do this today). Being born physically different from everyone, and believing she’s the odd one, leads Ms. Tyler to fall under the prime example of