Humanities (Essay Sample)

The Role of Pluralistic Ignorance in Conformity Student Full Name Institutional Affiliation Course Full Title Instructor Full Name Due date The Role of Pluralistic Ignorance in Conformity Introduction Pleuritic ignorance is a key social psychology that describes the occurrence in which people privately reject a norm and believe that other people accept it. This line of thinking leads to a situation of conformity where now the people adjust attitudes, beliefs and behaviors to align with the presided new norm. This research paper aims to explore and understand how social norms emerge and evolve by investigating the role of pleuritic ignorance influence on private beliefs and public behavior in shaping behavior and social influence. Literature Review Previous studies into pleuritic ignorance and conformity in social psychology have been widely studied in the past and give valuable insights into human behavior in the context of a group setting. Initial studies on pleuritic ignorance and conformity can be traced back to the 1930s by Floyd Allport and the 1950s by Solomon Asch. However, in recent times, research has investigated upcoming issues such as the role of social media in shaping and influencing social norms and conformity. Research studies such as those done by Hawkins in 2020 explored the heavy exposure to e-cigarettes on social media and found that it resulted in great use of e-cigarettes among adolescents which highlights the great impact that social media has on behavior. Research done in this field has evolved from studies in the early studies that focused on overt behaviors such as line judgment to the exploration of peoples' perspectives and how they respond towards social norms. However, there is usually a bone of contention in this field where it extends to the idea that individuals are usually aware of their pluralistic ignorance. Some studies support the idea that some people always recognize that they are conforming to perceived norms while other studies suggest that other people are aware of their conformity but decide to conform anyway to avoid social segregation (Cao et al., 2021). Interestingly, some recent studies are disputing the idea that conformity always leads to negative outcomes example the study by Vogel in 2021 found that conformity to certain social media norms can be beneficial. Methodology and Findings Research methodologies in the study of pluralistic ignorance and conformity that are usually employed are diverse and reflect their interactive nature. Observational approaches that were utilized to pleuritic ignorance and conformity in its natural setting gave insights into how people usually conform to perceived norms in their daily lives. The data collected from such methodologies were analyzed statistically to identify patterns, correlations and even discrepancies. A key finding from the analyzed data was that there is a very close between conformity and group dynamics. This indicated that that is a rampant tendency of people to conform to perceived group norms regardless of whether these norms inaccurately reflect the group's actual beliefs or behaviors. The aspect of validation across different contexts and populations suggests that cultural, social, and situational factors significantly influence conformity behavior. Conclusion In conclusion, the exploration of studies on pluralistic ignorance and conformity gives the realization that there is a complex relationship between individual cognition and social in...