Conformity, Alienation and Deviance

HSB 4UIMs. Dahl

The concepts of Conformity, Deviance and Alienation are important to understanding social change and human behaviour.

These terms are found in all three social sciences, but tend to be talked about most in sociology, since they have to do with how individuals act within groups.

Rules, Norms and Values

Values – Society carries with it a system of values. A particular set of values are assigned to each role. The practitioners of these roles are expected to accept and internalize these values.

Norms – These are rules set out for a particular role that are considered standard behaviour (eg. Catholic Priests are expected to be celibate)

Rules – These are developed by cultures based on their system of values

Conformity The act of matching attitudes, beliefs,

and behaviours to what individuals perceive as normal to their society or social group.

2 forces can encourage conformity: Normative Influence: the pressure

to conform to the positive expectations of others

Informational Influence: the human desire to accept information that another person tells us is valid

Alienation Estrangement or distance of people from each

other, from what they find meaningful, or from their sense of self.

Durkheim first used the term “Anomie” to describe the conditions of factory workers who felt they had no roots or connections to their community

Marx took this term and expanded it to mean anyone who does not share the major values of society and feels like an outsider

Deviance Behaviour that violates the standards of

conduct or expectations of a group or society

Deviance can range from simple eccentricities to behaviour that harms society or is considered disreputable

Is a concept that is culturally specific – what is deviant in one culture or at one period in history, may not be in another (Eg. The act of killing during war may be honourable, while during peace time it is considered a crime)

Whaa? “We must not say that an action shocks the

common conscience because it is criminal, but rather that it is criminal because it shocks the common conscience. We do not reprove (denounce) it because it is a crime, but it is a crime because we reprove it” Emile Durkheim

What do you think the Durkheim quote means?

Social Change So how do these terms relate to social

change? They are all forces that can both encourage

and impede social change. Impacts both individuals and society

Outline two positives and two negatives for conformity, alienation, and deviance

Conformity Positives:

Maintains rules, norms and values throughout generations

Provides comfort and stability for people Prevents chaos

Negatives: Can prevent/resist social change People may conform to hurtful/damaging social

norms (eg. Holocaust, bullying)

Alienation Positives:

Can create reformers/social changes May lead to new inventions or ideas

Negatives: People who are angry about being outcasts can

act out violently, or hurt themselves (eg. Unabomber, Columbine)

Can create anarchists Decreases sense of unity

Deviance Positives:

Allows people to express themselves Can spark social change Can lead to heroic behaviour (eg. Running into a

burning building to save someone) Negatives:

Can lead individuals to feel angry, isolated, left out

Can lead to criminal behaviour

How does this apply to individuals?

When people experience the social pressures of conformity, alienation and deviance, there can be many effects – some negative, some positive. The next activity will give you a chance to explore how individuals are impacted by these social experiences.

Big Paper Activity For this activity, you will be having a silent

written discussion in groups. You will be discussing how conformity and alienation affected children living during the Holocaust. Three stories will be profiled: Alfons Heck Elizabeth Dopazo Frank

The Rules: I will read the excerpt on the page in front of you once. You must remain silent during the entire activity – you

can only communicate with your group members in writing on the chart paper.

You must make two comments that are reactions to the text itself, two comments that are responses to what other group members have written, and two responses to the questions on the next slide.

You may write all over the chart paper – use words, pictures, images, circle the text, etc. You may move the page, write upside down or sideways – whatever you like.

Questions How important is it for you (or teens today) to “look right”, “act

right” and to fit in? How does this pressure impact teenagers self esteem and confidence?

When do you think in a child’s life they are most vulnerable to the pressure to conform?

The Nazi’s created a world in which young people were “free” from parental supervision. Why do you think this world was appealing to youth? What problems did it create for adolescents like Elizabeth who wanted to fit in, but also wanted to respect her families beliefs?

Have you ever been in a situation where you felt torn between fitting in and what you believed? What did you do?

If you had to pass on one important message about conformity and alienation to teenagers, what would it be?