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Tuesday, January 18, 2011
Tuesday's Assignment
In the comments section here, please post your "first paragraph" (I've used quotes because it is assumed it is a rough draft).
In addition, please post any lingering questions you have about the paper, or grammar in general!
According to Stanley Milgram, “the essence of obedience is that a person comes to view himself as the instrument for carrying out another person’s wishes, and he therefore no longer regards himself as responsible for his actions.” Stanley Milgram is the psychologist behind the famous Milgram experiment, which has received both positive and negative feedback from all different kinds of audiences. The experiment itself tests obedience in all different kind of peoples and how they would react when choosing between obeying an authority figure and obeying the person that the experiment was being done on. The experiment was performed in many places around the world, and the same results were yielded. The Milgram experiment opened a lot of eyes regarding obedience and authority figures.
Crystal Arellano The article Group Minds by Doris Lessing explores the ideas about groups throughout our environment. Lessing describes that it is important to understand how groups function because whether people realize it or not, “the fact is that we all live our lives in groups -family, work, social, religious and political groups.” The importance lies in the way individuals express their ideas as members of groups,and how those ideas help understand how groups work and how they govern others. As Lessing describes her ideas and portrays them in a conversational tone, using the first person allows readers to gain a connection and true understanding of her reasons for writing this article. Her style and ideas were very effective, because although they were in a conversational tone she was still able to grasp the attention of the readers with her academic language and convince them that groups are a way of life.
In "Disobedience as a Psychological and Moral Problem," the author, Erich Fromm, portrays the human race as a disobedient society. In the essay, Fromm states, "human history began with an act of disobedience." This implication allows for the use of historic figures. His style is effective since a vast majority of people can reason and apply his idea to the beginning of history.
Skaters, jocks, cheerleaders, and even rockers, all take part in what Doris Lessing refers as “groups”. Doris Lessing writes her article, Group Minds, to get across the issues and concerns that rise when people belong to groups. By nature humans have the need to belong, therefore classify and associate themselves with people that are similar to them. In her article, she points out that it may be harmful to associate to groups because unconsciously certain groups can be hurting and be dangerous to others. Lessing uses a casual tone to grab the reader’s attention and uses ideas that are effective and true in today’s societies.
Public opinion exists as a determining factor to an individual’s freethinking. Social pressure from other sources such as the media, political figures, and peers control how a person decides on certain situations. Solomon E. Asch, in his informative analysis “Opinions and Social Pressure”, probes the effects of majority influence over the individual. He recounts an experiment where subjects are asked to compare lines of different lengths, with a majority instructed to vote for, contrary to an individual’s decision, the incorrect answer. Conducted in other places with varying scenarios, Asch determines that the power of suggestibility plays an important role on an individual’s opinion.
Solomon writes about the series of experiments he performed to study how social forces constrain people’s opinions and attitudes. He performed numerous experiments to study which social settings have most influence over a person’s opinion and his results showed a clear trend: “When an individual was confronted with only a single individual who contradicted his answers, he was swayed little: he continued to answer independently and correct nearly all trials. But further increases in the size of the majority [increased the pressure on the minority and made them accept the majority answer].” Solomon proved that as soon as a subject found itself alone, the tendency to conform with the majority rose. He concluded that the social process influences individuals to surrender their powers that their thinking and functioning depends on
In Doris Lessing’s article, “Group Minds,” she stresses the fact that when people are in a group, they tend to give into the group by changing their opinions or way of thinking to agree with the group. The author in other words is stating that being a part of a group negatively affects individuals for the simple fact that it takes away their individual thought process. She critiques the idea and states that she fears for following generations to come because with this type of example being set by this generation it will give the idea that groups are superior to being an individual. I can agree and disagree with this statement because if we depend on others for a long enough period that mindset of helplessness and being too dependent on others will stay in their mind. Doris Lessing gives her perspective on this article, but many readers, such as myself, will disagree with her statement and conclude that being in a group is neither a bad thing nor a good thing, but instead a neutral thing. -Frank Machado
The concept of individuality is a term used very loosely and many never quite figure out what that really means. In "Opinions and Social Pressure," Solomon Asch talks about and explains experiments dealing with individual opinions against an overpowering group opinion. It is interesting to note that almost every person when asked in the experiment if they preferred individuality or conformity said individuality. When the experiments ensued, a third of all the people being experimented on conformed to the group opinion even though they had a hunch the group was wrong. If one third of all people in the world conformed to make their opinions one of the majorities, it is easy to see how great of an influence majority thought has on these "individuals." Humans being naturally "pack" animals, enjoying the company of others, have a temptation of agreeing to the normal thought pattern for acceptance is great. It is when people step up for their own opinion and guard their knowledge brought upon them from personal experience that people can truly become themselves.
There is an abundance of information about human behavior that can be utilized to improve “institutions and therefore our lives,” states Doris Lessing in “Group Minds.” However, people are turning away from individual thinking because of their irresponsible involvement in groups. Lacking individual thought leads to conformist behavior, and the opportunity for a majority opinion to rule. Lessing asserts that groups are not necessarily negative, but the individuals must know the laws that govern the group they are involved in. If a group functions, for instance, under malicious intentions, and none of the members challenges these ideas then there will be no progress or growth for the group.
In "The Perils of Obedience," Stanley Milgram states that “obedience is a deeply ingrained behavior tendency, indeed a potent impulse overriding training in ethics, sympathy, and moral conduct.” That is to say, an individual who follows the orders of another person may not be doing the right thing. People who commit negative acts like shocking an innocent person tend to justify their actions because someone else told them what to do. Milgram’s idea of how disobedience or obedience can have a negative outcome is valid because of his great use of style and context.
The Greek myth of Prometheus reveals that human civilization was based on an act of disobedience. Prometheus stole fire from the god and formed the foundation for the evolution of man. In the article, “Disobedience as a Psychological and Moral Problem”, by Erich Fromm, he argues that man kind have been on an act of disobedience and that disobedience and obedience can be seen as a vice and virtue. The author’s essay is effective because of the historical marks that prove that mankind acts on disobedience.
Question: Would the author's opinion or intepretation of a historical story make his reasoning credible?
In today’s world we are face with social pressure everywhere, from our friends, the media, and possible our parents. These factors play a big role on the way individuals make their day to day decisions whether we are conscious of it or not. Take for example the essay written by Solomon E. Asch, “Opinions and Social Pressure,” the essay talks about an experiment which different people are put through to test their ability to go against a group of people. In this experiment the subjects were shown a picture with three different lines, ranging in size, they are asked what size they are everyone answers that they’re the same, even when they are not, leaving this lonely subject on his own. The subject then fearing to stand alone decides to join the group of subjects just so he won’t stand out or seem different. This shows the power social pressure has on us as human’s beings. -Isidoro Medrano
In his essay "Opinions and Social Pressure," Solomon E. Asch discusses his studies and experiment on the influences of social pressure on the opinions of others. The basis of Asch's experiment was to have subjects submit answers to a problem and have the other "subjects" answer contrarily to the subject. His results ranged as some subjects would not give into the majority believing that the majority was fooled and they were able to see past the trick, while other subjects gave in and changed their answers to agree with the majority. Asch's results are reliable as he states that he did not count the trials in which subjects were suspicious. Asch concluded that when subjects were given a fellow dissenter to the majority they stood strong with their answers however when a subject was the sole dissenter their tendency to change opinions rose. It is fascinating how humans can be fooled as simply as presenting a couple of disagreeing opinions.
In the article “Group Minds”, by Dorris Lessing, Lessing explains the attraction that members of society have to being in groups. This attraction is so strong that it plays a role in everyday live. It is taken to the point where individuals tend to do anything in order to get the acceptance of the group, even if that means going against their own beliefs. Lessing’s explanation of society and its inclination to groups are validated through her points, and the form of her essay.
Many people will tell themselves that they are independent and no authority will tell them what to do. Humans for ages and ages have never done things alone. It's our nature to belong to a certain group and if that group doesn't work out we will try to find a new group. In the essay "Group Minds" by Doris Lessing makes very important points about human groups.
An expression is a form of character that identifies an individual from a group. People love to boast about their independence, but they forget about the significant others who contribute to their overall being. Individuals are created through social influences; however, within a group, people are more likely to disregard their own expression. In the essay “Opinions and Social Pressure, the author Solomon Asch explains how individuals are unable to state their thoughts and beliefs because of social pressure. People tend to avoid their thoughts when facing a majority of opposing opinions. They become of afraid to stand up for themselves because they refuse to be put on the spot when everyone else is disagreeing. Asch shows his readers how people brag in independence , “but as soon as [they find themselves] alone, the tendency to conform to majority” becomes a part of their daily routine. Everyone has their own opinions but as soon as they are within a group, the thoughts become half with the person and half with the group.
Groups alter an individuals way of thinking. A person's moral values and ethics are challenged by the group and sometimes overcome. Doris Lessing alaborates on her views regarding individuals and the effects of groups in her article called "Group Minds." She describes how people have a need for group acceptance and how they cant stand to be alone. She says that everyone lives in groups whether it be family, work groups, social, religious, or political groups. When an individual is part of a group, their thinking tends to follow suit with the group. Doris Lessing provides valid points regarding the impact that groups have on an individuals way of thinking and their moral values; her journalistic style is effective as she sways in and out of first and third person because it allows a wider audience to understand and relate to the article.
According to Stanley Milgram, “the essence of obedience is that a person comes to view himself as the instrument for carrying out another person’s wishes, and he therefore no longer regards himself as responsible for his actions.” Stanley Milgram is the psychologist behind the famous Milgram experiment, which has received both positive and negative feedback from all different kinds of audiences. The experiment itself tests obedience in all different kind of peoples and how they would react when choosing between obeying an authority figure and obeying the person that the experiment was being done on. The experiment was performed in many places around the world, and the same results were yielded. The Milgram experiment opened a lot of eyes regarding obedience and authority figures.
ReplyDelete-Liliana Diaz
Crystal Arellano
ReplyDeleteThe article Group Minds by Doris Lessing explores the ideas about groups throughout our environment. Lessing describes that it is important to understand how groups function because whether people realize it or not, “the fact is that we all live our lives in groups -family, work, social, religious and political groups.” The importance lies in the way individuals express their ideas as members of groups,and how those ideas help understand how groups work and how they govern others. As Lessing describes her ideas and portrays them in a conversational tone, using the first person allows readers to gain a connection and true understanding of her reasons for writing this article. Her style and ideas were very effective, because although they were in a conversational tone she was still able to grasp the attention of the readers with her academic language and convince them that groups are a way of life.
In "Disobedience as a Psychological and Moral Problem," the author, Erich Fromm, portrays the human race as a disobedient society. In the essay, Fromm states, "human history began with an act of disobedience." This implication allows for the use of historic figures. His style is effective since a vast majority of people can reason and apply his idea to the beginning of history.
ReplyDeleteby Jorge Perez
Skaters, jocks, cheerleaders, and even rockers, all take part in what Doris Lessing refers as “groups”. Doris Lessing writes her article, Group Minds, to get across the issues and concerns that rise when people belong to groups. By nature humans have the need to belong, therefore classify and associate themselves with people that are similar to them. In her article, she points out that it may be harmful to associate to groups because unconsciously certain groups can be hurting and be dangerous to others. Lessing uses a casual tone to grab the reader’s attention and uses ideas that are effective and true in today’s societies.
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeletePublic opinion exists as a determining factor to an individual’s freethinking. Social pressure from other sources such as the media, political figures, and peers control how a person decides on certain situations. Solomon E. Asch, in his informative analysis “Opinions and Social Pressure”, probes the effects of majority influence over the individual. He recounts an experiment where subjects are asked to compare lines of different lengths, with a majority instructed to vote for, contrary to an individual’s decision, the incorrect answer. Conducted in other places with varying scenarios, Asch determines that the power of suggestibility plays an important role on an individual’s opinion.
ReplyDeleteSolomon writes about the series of experiments he performed to study how social forces constrain people’s opinions and attitudes. He performed numerous experiments to study which social settings have most influence over a person’s opinion and his results showed a clear trend: “When an individual was confronted with only a single individual who contradicted his answers, he was swayed little: he continued to answer independently and correct nearly all trials. But further increases in the size of the majority [increased the pressure on the minority and made them accept the majority answer].” Solomon proved that as soon as a subject found itself alone, the tendency to conform with the majority rose. He concluded that the social process influences individuals to surrender their powers that their thinking and functioning depends on
ReplyDeleteIn Doris Lessing’s article, “Group Minds,” she stresses the fact that when people are in a group, they tend to give into the group by changing their opinions or way of thinking to agree with the group. The author in other words is stating that being a part of a group negatively affects individuals for the simple fact that it takes away their individual thought process. She critiques the idea and states that she fears for following generations to come because with this type of example being set by this generation it will give the idea that groups are superior to being an individual. I can agree and disagree with this statement because if we depend on others for a long enough period that mindset of helplessness and being too dependent on others will stay in their mind. Doris Lessing gives her perspective on this article, but many readers, such as myself, will disagree with her statement and conclude that being in a group is neither a bad thing nor a good thing, but instead a neutral thing.
ReplyDelete-Frank Machado
The concept of individuality is a term used very loosely and many never quite figure out what that really means. In "Opinions and Social Pressure," Solomon Asch talks about and explains experiments dealing with individual opinions against an overpowering group opinion. It is interesting to note that almost every person when asked in the experiment if they preferred individuality or conformity said individuality. When the experiments ensued, a third of all the people being experimented on conformed to the group opinion even though they had a hunch the group was wrong. If one third of all people in the world conformed to make their opinions one of the majorities, it is easy to see how great of an influence majority thought has on these "individuals." Humans being naturally "pack" animals, enjoying the company of others, have a temptation of agreeing to the normal thought pattern for acceptance is great. It is when people step up for their own opinion and guard their knowledge brought upon them from personal experience that people can truly become themselves.
ReplyDeleteThere is an abundance of information about human behavior that can be utilized to improve “institutions and therefore our lives,” states Doris Lessing in “Group Minds.” However, people are turning away from individual thinking because of their irresponsible involvement in groups. Lacking individual thought leads to conformist behavior, and the opportunity for a majority opinion to rule. Lessing asserts that groups are not necessarily negative, but the individuals must know the laws that govern the group they are involved in. If a group functions, for instance, under malicious intentions, and none of the members challenges these ideas then there will be no progress or growth for the group.
ReplyDeleteIn "The Perils of Obedience," Stanley Milgram states that “obedience is a deeply ingrained behavior tendency, indeed a potent impulse overriding training in ethics, sympathy, and moral conduct.” That is to say, an individual who follows the orders of another person may not be doing the right thing. People who commit negative acts like shocking an innocent person tend to justify their actions because someone else told them what to do. Milgram’s idea of how disobedience or obedience can have a negative outcome is valid because of his great use of style and context.
ReplyDeleteJennifer Melo
The Greek myth of Prometheus reveals that human civilization was based on an act of disobedience. Prometheus stole fire from the god and formed the foundation for the evolution of man. In the article, “Disobedience as a Psychological and Moral Problem”, by Erich Fromm, he argues that man kind have been on an act of disobedience and that disobedience and obedience can be seen as a vice and virtue. The author’s essay is effective because of the historical marks that prove that mankind acts on disobedience.
ReplyDeleteQuestion: Would the author's opinion or intepretation of a historical story make his reasoning credible?
Abigail Chaidez
In today’s world we are face with social pressure everywhere, from our friends, the media, and possible our parents. These factors play a big role on the way individuals make their day to day decisions whether we are conscious of it or not. Take for example the essay written by Solomon E. Asch, “Opinions and Social Pressure,” the essay talks about an experiment which different people are put through to test their ability to go against a group of people. In this experiment the subjects were shown a picture with three different lines, ranging in size, they are asked what size they are everyone answers that they’re the same, even when they are not, leaving this lonely subject on his own. The subject then fearing to stand alone decides to join the group of subjects just so he won’t stand out or seem different. This shows the power social pressure has on us as human’s beings.
ReplyDelete-Isidoro Medrano
In his essay "Opinions and Social Pressure," Solomon E. Asch discusses his studies and experiment on the influences of social pressure on the opinions of others. The basis of Asch's experiment was to have subjects submit answers to a problem and have the other "subjects" answer contrarily to the subject. His results ranged as some subjects would not give into the majority believing that the majority was fooled and they were able to see past the trick, while other subjects gave in and changed their answers to agree with the majority. Asch's results are reliable as he states that he did not count the trials in which subjects were suspicious. Asch concluded that when subjects were given a fellow dissenter to the majority they stood strong with their answers however when a subject was the sole dissenter their tendency to change opinions rose. It is fascinating how humans can be fooled as simply as presenting a couple of disagreeing opinions.
ReplyDeleteRandy Ou
In the article “Group Minds”, by Dorris Lessing, Lessing explains the attraction that members of society have to being in groups. This attraction is so strong that it plays a role in everyday live. It is taken to the point where individuals tend to do anything in order to get the acceptance of the group, even if that means going against their own beliefs. Lessing’s explanation of society and its inclination to groups are validated through her points, and the form of her essay.
ReplyDeleteMany people will tell themselves that they are independent and no authority will tell them what to do. Humans for ages and ages have never done things alone. It's our nature to belong to a certain group and if that group doesn't work out we will try to find a new group. In the essay "Group Minds" by Doris Lessing makes very important points about human groups.
ReplyDelete- Kimberly Romero
An expression is a form of character that identifies an individual from a group. People love to boast about their independence, but they forget about the significant others who contribute to their overall being. Individuals are created through social influences; however, within a group, people are more likely to disregard their own expression.
ReplyDeleteIn the essay “Opinions and Social Pressure, the author Solomon Asch explains how individuals are unable to state their thoughts and beliefs because of social pressure. People tend to avoid their thoughts when facing a majority of opposing opinions. They become of afraid to stand up for themselves because they refuse to be put on the spot when everyone else is disagreeing. Asch shows his readers how people brag in independence , “but as soon as [they find themselves] alone, the tendency to conform to majority” becomes a part of their daily routine. Everyone has their own opinions but as soon as they are within a group, the thoughts become half with the person and half with the group.
Bernadette Tuazon
Cody Bills
ReplyDeleteGroups alter an individuals way of thinking. A person's moral values and ethics are challenged by the group and sometimes overcome. Doris Lessing alaborates on her views regarding individuals and the effects of groups in her article called "Group Minds." She describes how people have a need for group acceptance and how they cant stand to be alone. She says that everyone lives in groups whether it be family, work groups, social, religious, or political groups. When an individual is part of a group, their thinking tends to follow suit with the group. Doris Lessing provides valid points regarding the impact that groups have on an individuals way of thinking and their moral values; her journalistic style is effective as she sways in and out of first and third person because it allows a wider audience to understand and relate to the article.