SOCS 185N Week 3
SOCS 185N Week 3 Assignment: Sociological Imagination Essay
SOCS 185N Week 3 Discussion: Conformity and Deviance
Social psychologist Irving Janis coined the term group think to describe how people often respond differently in a group context than they might if they were alone. Another interesting topic of sociological study is the area of deviance and social control. The textbook provides multiples examples from history where groupthink may have influenced people to participate in socially deviant behavior that they might have otherwise avoided. For the initial post, address the one of the following:
- Option 1: Share an example from your personal experience (of your own or of someone you know), or an example from history, where groupthink may have influenced people to behave or arrive at a decision in a way that many individual members privately might have avoided or thought unwise.
- Option 2: Choose a form of deviance with which you are familiar (not necessarily something you have done, but something someone you know did). Examine why society views that behavior as deviant and whether perceptions of that behavior have changed over time. Determine and explain which theory of deviance you think works best for understanding the deviant behavior you have chosen to discuss. Remember to be respectful in light of potentially sensitive topics and consider what you might be disclosing as there is no guarantee of privacy.
Follow-Up Post Instructions
Respond to at least two peers or one peer and the instructor. Respond to one peer who chose a prompt different from the one you chose. Further the dialogue by providing more information and clarification and/or include perspectives from outside scholarly sources shared in the discussion forum by classmates and/or the instructor.
