Conformity can help in many situations. Conformity can be used to feel accepted, or to help during conflict. In some cases during World War Two, conformity was the only option if people wanted to survive. For example, “For all the pain it caused, the loyalty oath finally did speed up the relocation program. One result was the gradual easing of the congestion of the barracks. A shrewd househunter like Mama could set things up fairly comfortably - by Manzanar standards- if she kept her eyes open. But you had to move fast. As soon as the word got out that so- and- so had been cleared to leave, there would be a kind of tribal restlessness, a nervous rise in the level of neighborhood gossip as wives jockeyed for a position to see who would get the empty cubicles” (Houston 70). Jeanne Wakatsuki Houston was a child that lived in an internment camp. She experienced many things, but her parents told her to comply with the United State’s wishes and do as they were told. By conforming, Jeanne and her family were able to survive the hasty manner their own country treated them in. Social psychologists look at times of war for examples of conformity. Hossna Sadat states, “During conformity one changes the way they behave in response to social pressures. We have all encountered social conformity in life, whether it has been consciously or unconsciously, by accepting the dominant culture’s expectation of us. What people say and how they behave are vastly influenced by others.” She touches on a personal level about how people deal with conflict everyday, and conformity does not show any weakness, rather a strength that few have. In Germany, there was all sorts of chaos arising. To show, Hitler Youth had more power than teachers during Hitler’s reign. They bullied people into joining the Hitler Youth and they harassed people who refused to join. Finally the leader of the program saw their misbehaving as ‘unfavorable publicity’ and told Hitler Youth to obey the law (Bartoletti). Many German citizens were pressured to conform with omnipotent figures such as Hitler. Obviously conformity isn’t the only way to overcome conflict, but it is a way to have the other party get what they want in order to move on after. There are good reasons to conform with the other party, and there are also good reasons not to resist the ways of the other party.
People in Europe during World War Two had very few options as to choices. For instance, “The principal warned Sophie that she might not graduate if she didn’t participate and show more enthusiasm for National Socialism. The threat worked: Worried now, Sophie buckled and studied hard to pass the Abitur, a difficult graduation test, in order to receive her diploma. Her diploma was her ticket to the anniversary” (Bartoletti 399). People were pressured to conform with Hitler, otherwise their future could be ruined. Over in the United States, things weren’t looking too good either. The National Japanese American Historical Society stated, for example, “ Just after the bombing of Pearl Harbor, 4,000 Japanese immigrants were detained by the FBI and sent to Department of Justice camps, run by the Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS) and guarded by the Border Patrol. Over half of the Japanese population in America were first generation long-term US residents who were denied citizenship and declared enemy aliens.” Rights as citizens were taken from the Japanese Americans. Many people had to leave their homes because they were a possible threat to their own country. One of these people, Louise Ogawa, experienced being put into an internment camp, yet her positive attitude still remained. To show, “ Built on Indian land, Poston was the largest …show more content…
of all ten relocation centers. It was divided into three parts, officially known as Poston I, II, and III…. The heat was so extreme that standard army barracks were redesigned with double roofs for insulation. But even double roofs did not block the oppressive heat. No guard towers were built at Poston since the location was ‘ in the middle of nowhere’ and towers were considered unnecessary” (Ogawa? 410). Louise and her family had no choice but to remain loyal and conform to the ways of the U.S.. There is always a reason that something may happen, the intentions could be bad, but it is best not to resist the other party’s ideas and ways. People can comply with the other party while having their own opposing view.
Many people remain silent in a time of conflict to avoid more conflict, but they could just have a different opinion on the conflict. Sophie Scholl is a great example of this. To show, “Sophie Scholl grew up around the Hitler Youth and their twisted ideas. All throughout high school she didn’t believe in the National Socialist perspective. Sophie had to act as though she agreed with Hitler’s views in order to receive her diploma. Sophie was later beheaded for distributing anti-Nazi leaflets” (Bartoletti 398). Jeanne dealt with conformity by accepting herself. For instance, “As I came to understand what Manzanar had meant, it gradually filled me with shame for being a person guilty of something enormous enough to deserve that kind of treatment. In order to please my accusers, I tried, for the first few years after our release, to become someone acceptable. I both succeeded and failed. By the age of seventeen I knew that making it, in the terms I had tried to adopt, was not only unlikely, but false and empty, no more authentic for me than trying to emulate my Great-aunt Toyo. I needed some grounding of my own, such as Woody had found when he went to commune with her and with our ancestors in Ka-ke. It took me another twenty years to accumulate the confidence to deal with what the equivalent experience would have to be for me” (Houston 133). Some people believe that it is not possible to conform
and still have an opposing view although, it may seem strange, having to conform while having another opinion shows one’s mental skills and physical capabilities. For example, “Although conformity can be practiced in many distinct ways, one should not confuse it with obedience. “Conformity occurs amongst people equally, while obedience occurs within a social hierarchy. The emphasis in conformity is to feel accepted and the emphasis in obedience engages around social power” (Marshall, 2008). By now, you are aware that people conform because they desire to feel accepted. With obedience, people conform because they would like to prevent unpleasant consequences” (Sadat). This is a great example of how people have conformed in order to survive. Conformity can help in a time of conflict, and there are reasons not to resist the ways of the other party, but you can comply while resisting the idea of the other party. All of these are one of the many ways to deal with conflict, and it has been proven to work well. At the end of the day, there is still conflict and many ways to resolve: it is how someone will choose to respond to the conflict that reflects on their character.
Works Cited
Bartoletti, Susan Campbell. "Hitler Youth: Growing Up in Hitler's Shadow." Studysync: Reading & Writing Companion. Sonoma, CA: BookheadEd Learning, LLC, 2015. 398-400. Print.
Historical Society, National Japanese American. "History." Japanese American Confinement. National American Historical Society, 2 July 1999. Web. 13 Apr. 2017.
Houston, Jeanne Wakatsuki., and James D. Houston. Farewell to Manzanar: A True Story of Japanese American Experience during and after the World War II Internment. New York: Ember, 2012. Print.
Oppenheim, Joanne. "Dear Miss Breed." Studysync: Reading & Writing Companion. Sonoma, CA: BookheadEd Learning, LLC, 2015. 408-13. Print.
Sadat, Hossna, MA. "Conformity Through the Ages." Social Conformity. Motion Magazine, 4 May 2011. Web. 13 Apr. 2017.