“Group Minds” and Solomon Asch’s experiment Essay Sample

do nothing to address it. Asch's experiments revealed the significant impact of conformity on society. He argues that while society needs agreement, it is necessary for individuals to offer independent insights for it to be productive. Asch conducted his experiment in a classroom, with a group consisting of seven to nine male college students from three different New England universities.

The participants are informed by the experimenter about a line length comparison they will be conducting. Two white cards, one with one line and the other with three lines, are shown to them. The participants must choose the line on the second card that matches the length of the line on the first card. Initially, all participants select the same line, which is correct. In the second round, once again, the group unanimously agrees on their decision.

On the 3rd test, a topic near the terminal deviates from the others. The heretical becomes noticeably flustered and hesitating after a few more units of ammunitions continue this manner. What the dissenter does not know is that all the other members of the group were told before the experiment to give wrong replies as a unit throughout the experiment. The dissident is left dealing with an internal battle, whether to maintain his stance and go against the majority or to conform. Asch found that about one-third of the time the dissident went against their inherent aptitudes after being indirectly pressured to conform to the majority, even when the majority’s opinion was noticeably incorrect.

Asch later conducted various variations of his experiment to further study social conformity. According to Lessing, maintaining an individual dissenting opinion within a group is the most

challenging task in the world (Lessing 334).

In other words, belonging to a group can make it difficult to maintain our individuality, as our thoughts are influenced by the group's beliefs. As Asch explains, individuals often uncritically and willingly conform to external influences, without considering the true value of their own thoughts and values (Asch 307). This highlights how people often ignore their own values without questioning whether they should be disregarded. Both Lessing and Asch's quotes demonstrate the immense power of a group and its influence on an individual's mindset.

Lessing suggests that we often give in to external pressures, such as authority or our peers. She believes that there is nothing inherently wrong with being part of a group, but the issue arises when we fail to comprehend the societal rules that govern and regulate these groups. It is evident that groups have a significant influence on our society. However, Lessing does not distinguish between different types of groups, whereas Asch uses various variables in experiments to examine the effects of different group situations. Instead of lumping all groups together, Lessing could have offered a more comprehensive analysis by addressing the distinct types of groups.

In her discussion, she primarily focuses on groups and pressures to conform rather than delving deeper. According to Lessing (333), she states, “The fact is that we all live our lives in groups—the family, work groups, social, religious, and political groups.” Although she mentions specific groups like the family and political groups, she could have provided more details on each one and their impact on individuals. Asch, on the other hand, explores various group situations by introducing variations in his experiment.

For instance, he includes a partner who would align with the dissenter.

According to Asch, this individual either lacked awareness of the planned instructions or was directed to give accurate responses throughout the experiment. Asch observed that "The presence of a supporting partner diminished much of its power" (Asch 310). The participant only provided false answers 25% of the time, as opposed to the previous rate of 36.8%. So why did this occur? It is possible that the dissenting person felt a bond or closeness with their partner, or perhaps the partner motivated them enough to adhere to their own opinions rather than being influenced by others. The situation of being in an "assigned group" likely also influenced the behavior of these dissenters. There are two types of groups: chosen and assigned.

When individuals choose to join a group, they often feel a sense of investment and alignment with the group's beliefs, as noted by Lessing (334). In fact, some individuals may have joined the group specifically to find like-minded people. This desire to belong can lead us to unknowingly sacrifice our own individuality and conform to external pressures in order to gain acceptance and feel important. The participants in Asch's experiment, on the other hand, were assigned to a group and did not have the opportunity to choose their group members or know each other.

Asch stated that the assigned group situation has an impact on conformance. He observed that among the 123 participants in the experiment, a significant percentage followed the majority. Normally, when individuals make decisions independently, errors occur less than 1% of the time. However, under group pressure, minority subjects tend to conform to

the misleading majority's incorrect judgments in 36 instances.

According to Asch (309), 8% of the time, the participant who was not informed about the true nature of the experiment initially felt doubtful about why the other group members did not respond the same way as he did. However, as time passed, the implicit pressure on him increased and he had to make a choice between sticking with his instinct and giving the correct answer, or aligning with the majority even if they were wrong.

Why did 36.8% of the participants choose to abandon their natural abilities? The overwhelming majority opposing the dissenters and the assigned group environment had an impact on many of the participants. Perhaps the individuals felt embarrassed as their response was opposed by everyone and they probably did not want to cause a scene. According to Lessing (334), people who have been in many groups and have observed their own behavior may find it extremely difficult to go against their group. In Asch's experiment, the subject could not resist the peer pressure from the majority, leading them to conform. How does conformity differ between assigned groups and chosen groups? An example of a chosen group would be a congregation in a church.

At a certain age, we consciously decide on our preferences and who or what to worship. According to Lessing, we are inclined to adopt the beliefs of the groups we associate with (Lessing 334). Generally speaking, individuals tend to align with groups that share their values. In such environments, people are more likely to conform as their group members hold significant importance to them. There is a mutual familiarity between individuals in these

groups.

The Asch experiment and choosing a group both involve regularly seeing the other members, unlike the Asch experiment where they may never see them again. This suggests that conformity rates are likely higher in chosen groups compared to assigned groups due to the higher stakes.

Lessing and Asch both wrote articles addressing the tendency for individuals to conform. Lessing's article, titled "Group Minds," provides a concise overview of this topic. She acknowledges that in today's society, we possess the knowledge to resist conformity but often choose not to. It seems likely that Lessing aimed to generate interest and create an essay accessible to a wide audience. On the other hand, Asch's article "Opinions and Social Pressure" also delves into the phenomenon of conformity.

Asch, in his article, integrates his findings on societal conformance with the process and consequences of his experiment. His main purpose is to expose his findings and the decisions he made after conducting his experiment, as he had a clear intention to use research in order to prove his hypothesis as a theory. Asch devotes a significant amount of time exploring different variations of his experiment, such as introducing a Confederate and making drastic changes to the lengths of the lines.

On the other hand, Lessing's article aims to raise awareness about societal conformance and advocate for action to be taken so that individuals can maintain their independence. She discusses the current knowledge about the human mind and societal conformance, emphasizing the importance of understanding these concepts in today's society.

"But what if schools taught this type of thing?" (Lessing 335). Would teaching children these rules of group behavior and individuality have a lasting impact? If

you ask most teenagers or adults about conformity, most will know what it is and many will even admit that they are involved in it themselves. It's not that society is ignorant about the topic; society simply fails to utilize the knowledge it possesses to make a difference. Asch conducted a variation in his experiment where the differences between line lengths were altered to make the correct answer obvious. Asch states, Asch did a variation in his experiment where the difference between the line lengths are altered so that the difference is so conspicuous that the right answer is obvious.

According to Asch (311), the disagreement between the standard line and the other lines was consistently varied in order to emphasize a glaring mistake that would make every topic disown it and make independent choices. However, despite this noticeable difference, many topics still sided with the majority. Can a society with such consequences be reformed? Reforming an entire Western society may be impossible, but Lessing's ideas have potential. With some guidance in schools.

Today's younger generation is more likely to be individualistic compared to previous generations. Plants Cited:

1. Asch. Solomon E. "Opinions and Social Pressure." Writing and Reading Across the Curriculum. 9th ed. Eds.
2. Laurence Behrens and Leonard J. Rosen. New York: Pearson Longman. 2005. 306-312.Lessing.
3. Doris.

"Group Minds." Writing and Reading Across the Curriculum. 7th ed. Eds.

New York: Pearson Longman. 2000. 333-335.