Here are 10 how behaviors I adhere to that show conformity and behavior in my actions:

• I wear my seatbelt
• I don't swear
• I put my napkin in my lap
• I say thank you when a person holds the door
• I let at least 1 person in when traffic is merging
• I get my teeth cleaned twice a year
• I answer texts or emails as soon as I receive them
• I turn off the light when I leave a room
• I don't litter
• I don't wear shoes in my house and I would never go barefoot in the office

Discussthe situational factors that impact your beliefs and behaviors.

Many of the rules I adhere to stem from situational factors of trying to avoid injury or expenses related to undisciplined behavior. I wore my seatbelt long before it became a law in the state where I lived. I visit my dentist two times a year to avoid cavities and gum disease which would be expensive and could cause pain and infection. I don't wear shoes in my house to avoid damaging the floors or rugs and bringing in dirt from outdoors. I am conscientious about my carbon footprint and try to do my part to save energy or conserve water.

Describepotential social and cultural influences.

It is very important to me to be seen as a person with manners and decorum. I would be mortified if people perceived me to be rude or ignorant of social graces. I impose many rules on my behavior based on what I consider polite and gracious. I will always say please and thank you and I make eye contact and greet people when they enter a room. I have jokingly said I never want to owe money or a promise to anybody when I die that I did not fulfill. Honesty is very important to me and I believe that reflects in what social norms I consider important.

Analyzefive of your logged behaviors, determining whether they are due to normative or informational influence and whether group pressures apply.

Three behaviors that fall under normative influence are not swearing, putting my napkin in my lap, and saying thank you when a person opens the door for me. Although many people consider swearing acceptable, I still would not display this behavior based on my perception of what others might think about it. It will not change society either way, but it is a norm that is very ingrained in my psyche. Two of my logged behaviors are based in informational influence; wearing a seatbelt and turning lights off when I leave a room. Both are considered beneficial to society in saving lives and saving resources. This makes us cooperating citizens doing our part for the community.

Nonconforming behavior:

I chose to say thank you when someone opens a door for me as the social norm I would violate. This felt wrong every time I did not say anything. I did not feel unfettered but more like I did not finish a transaction. It became very apparent how ingrained this behavior is within me.

I am used to exchanging a smile with a person and saying thank you. When I did not say anything and just walked through the open door, they didn't say anything, but their expression was blank instead of happy.

I believe we develop a script for the steps in social norms and when something about the exchange between people is different it makes it awkward and uncertain as to what the next action should be (Feenstra, 2020).

In any leadership role that I have been in my focus was to be a servant leader and set an example through that leadership. I never asked people to do anything that I hadn't done for the group. I exhibited the behaviors I wanted to see in them. I showed interest in their ideas and if they had issues I would work with them to think through solutions that could resolve the issues.

Conformity can have a negative impact on how a group behaves. Individuals without expertise or confidence can be persuaded to change their behavior negatively (Crano, 2000). There are examples throughout history where those with social influence can direct a group to behave in ways that are outside of their social norms. As a rule-follower, conformity helps to set expectations for the behavior that is expected and gives me a sense of structure. I have been negatively affected by the instances of mass shootings in normal places. Although I continue to live my life and attend events that are important to me the non-equilibrium of expected behavior in offices, schools, churches and parades makes me hesitant to participate as I used to.

Crano, W. D. (2000). Milestones in the psychological analysis of social influence.Group Dynamics: Theory, Research, and Practice,4(1), 68-80.

Feenstra, J. (2020). Social psychology (2nd ed.). Zovio.

questions?

• What about the persons experience was most/least surprising?
• How would you have reacted to the nonconformity of your peer?
• When and how might the presence of others (i.e., a group) impact your peer's thoughts or actions?