Let me tell you a story about me. =) As funny as this may sound, I have only been to a club once. My perception of clubbing before I clubbed was that it is bad and only “popular” people club. Since I am not popular in school, why should I go clubbing? All of my friends club at least once in their life. Some of my friends go clubbing when they reach the legal age of 18; some others go clubbing even before 18 years old. Anyway, I first went clubbing on my nineteenth birthday. Nobody believes me if I told them that I’ve never been to clubbing till I reached 19.
Thinking back on the day that I said yes to clubbing, I felt that I had to agree to it instead of wanting to go on my own accord. After reading a little of the textbook, I found out that I was behaving in the theory of conformity.
We all know about conformity- It is the change of one’s behavior to ‘fit in’ into situations and the change of behavior is caused by another person or a group. In the case mentioned above, I conformed to clubbing with friends will probably be due to wanting acceptance from the group and to fit in to the social norms.
To me, clubbing was a wrong thing to do. If I know that it is wrong, why did I still go besides following the social norms? In the textbook, it mentioned that there is some research done which provided answers that took me by surprise. It was mentioned that people often go along with the incorrect answer when they are faced with situations that they know are wrong. Hence, even when clubbing to me was wrong, I went on with it just because.
I will end off this post with yet another thought. Does conformity occur due to pressure- regardless of peer, societal or cultural factors?
Thinking back on the day that I said yes to clubbing, I felt that I had to agree to it instead of wanting to go on my own accord. After reading a little of the textbook, I found out that I was behaving in the theory of conformity.
We all know about conformity- It is the change of one’s behavior to ‘fit in’ into situations and the change of behavior is caused by another person or a group. In the case mentioned above, I conformed to clubbing with friends will probably be due to wanting acceptance from the group and to fit in to the social norms.
To me, clubbing was a wrong thing to do. If I know that it is wrong, why did I still go besides following the social norms? In the textbook, it mentioned that there is some research done which provided answers that took me by surprise. It was mentioned that people often go along with the incorrect answer when they are faced with situations that they know are wrong. Hence, even when clubbing to me was wrong, I went on with it just because.
I will end off this post with yet another thought. Does conformity occur due to pressure- regardless of peer, societal or cultural factors?
5 comments:
To me, I guess the idea of clubbing seems to be more of a peer pressure effect.
Whereby all your friends have been to a club and kept talking about it. Thus comes to a point whereby they start asking you WHAT are your reasons for not going to a club to have fun. Questioning if you are too rigid or boring.
Personally, I used to have classmates asking me why I am single for so freaking long while all my girlfriends around me change boyfriends like disposable underwear. Questioning me about my sexual orientation can you believe that!!!
But on a lighter note, I did not succumb into finding any tom, dick and harry guy to be my boyfriend (due to any of that pressure).
And I seriously have met people who still DO NOT give a damn about clubbing despite being pressured by peers around them for many many many years.
I agree with you, Chermaine. Growing up there was a lot of pressure to conform with friends, when I refused to go clubbing and admitted that i dont really enjoy it, it would elicit shock from them, as if not anticipating enjoyment from clubbing is ridiculous. So yeah, peer pressure has the potential to induce conformity, whether its going clubbing, having boyfriends or signing up for facebook even. But some will conform whereas others wont. It depends on how each person percieves the importance of doing what their friends do.
I went clubbing for the first real time on Valentines Day this year. Not out of conformity, but out of sheer curiousity. And apart from the free drinks (ladies night, haha), I dont like it. Too loud and impersonal for my taste. But its important to try everything once, if its something YOU wanna do rather than what others tell you to.
haa. chermaine, i was a fool in this for i went clubbing purely out of conformity. everyone in my camp (or so i thought) clubbed! it seemed like the one entertainment that was in it all and worth it all. guess what? after afew clubbing sessions, i felt like a fool. pay some money, get some drinks, dance a lil (in hope of hooking up a girl), then rush to grab a cab and head home. what a 'fantastic' experience.
i'm glad i dont have to do that anymore.
conforming has different reasons to it. some may be valid, other not. people conform usually to peer pressure because they do not want to be the odd one out, or be left out of the group. imagine that all your friends went to a party and you didn't. the next day, you see them in class all chit chatting and having so much talking about their experience last night, how left out will you feel? how odd will that be that everyone is talking about something and you got no clue what they are talking?
for some, its alright and they just sit there and smile throughout their conversation. but others will feel weird and sad and all the negative emotions will rush to you. then from then on, the pressure to conform increases exponentially.
so beware. don't conform to the world, cos its a place of danger and sin.
Frankly.... the only time i went into a club is in Taiwan.. with my brother, sister and brother in law. Muahahhaa!
I guess it could be right that peer pressure has caused this clubbing phenonemon, but then again... when we are discussing about all this, aint we contributing to peer pressure as well?
Think again.
Lau Wan Xin
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