PSY 240 Lecture Notes - Lecture 28: Tunxis Community College, Amygdala
23 Nov 2020
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Document Summary
Perspectives on human nature some cultures value autonomy and independence, while others place more emphasis on conformity to one"s group. Even within a given culture, values may change over time. Ask yourself: if you were a parent, what traits would you like your child to have: when this question was put to american mothers in 1924, they chose obedience and loyalty, key characteristics of conformity. Yet when mothers were asked the same question in 1978, they cited independence and tolerance of others, key characteristics of autonomy. Similar trends were found in surveys conducted in west germany, italy, england, and japan and in laboratory experiments, where conformity rates are somewhat lower today than in the past. Is it possible that today"s children tomorrow"s adults will exhibit greater resistance to the various forms of social influence: cast in a positive light, conformity, compliance, and obedience are good and necessary human responses.
