McKenna's Transcendentalist Essay

McKenna Brumley

AP Lit Essay

            Ralph Waldo Emerson’s idea of conformity is that it should be nonexistent. He believed people should question everything to enhance their own intelligence. Everyone needs to be able to fill his or her abundant potential through situational ethics. This means that there is no absolute right or wrong, no matter the time, place, or situation. Emerson believes that whatever the individual feels is right, is right for only them. In his essay Self Reliance he states, "The virtue in most requests is conformity. Self-reliance is its aversion. It loves not realities and creators, but names and customs." Virtues are very important to Emerson; they are what make up the self. They help describe the idea of being an original. Emerson portrays in this quote that the original self has been depleted. There are too many other things one can be other than just them. Due to this, conformity is an issue, changing action, personality, or behavior based on another person or group creates copies. Emerson believed that these copies were no longer able to think, speak, or act as themselves anymore, making them useless in an ever-changing society. Their uselessness angered Emerson, he wanted a society of new ideas constantly being tweaked by a personal opinion, not one based of what others believe. He thrived on young, fresh minds that could capture the essence of nature themselves rather than learn it from a teacher in school. He desired transcendentalists, persistently questioning ones own thoughts, in no way persuaded by another. He craved anti-conformity. 

            Conformity is most simply described as changing ones actions, personality, or behavior based on another person or group. Its basically influence, and in many ways, influence is good. It’s made our society better. Such conformity is imitation; society has come to believe that it’s bad to imitate, whereas I, believe its only molding. Molding a young child into a model student, molding an adult into a parent, molding society into the best it can be. To conform present day would be to wear a flannel and combat boots because you saw the popular girl wear that yesterday, to buy the hunger games books even if you hate post apocalyptic stories because that’s what’s “in” right now. Conformity through my eyes is changing what you like to eat, drink, read, listen to, drive, play, or even wear. Although some may think it’s downright copying, I think for many people it can be a safety zone. Conforming can be a way to fit in, from preschool, to working in a desk all day; it’s a way to keep comfortable. It’s not always the self that changes; it’s really just the little things that don’t even seem to matter nowadays. Because conforming is not exactly imitating, there is no exact replica, it can be quite hard to realize who is the person, and who is the conformer. Since conformity is such a way of life, it’s something we will never be able to get rid of; people will always be look to other people for ideas. Conformity can be described in many ways, such as influence, imitation, internalization, and compliance.

            Internalization is the act of changing behavioral traits. Behavior is very different from physical conformity. Because conformity covers the aspect of physical and actionable standards, behavior covers the emotional characteristics and qualities. Behavior is a very specific conformity, in most cases, the influential person has a greater knowledge, or overall knowing, that can be instructive or helpful. Internalization applies in school, or work; one person has a better idea or thought that can be beneficial in the long or short run. It’s a way to push out the overall changing in conformity. Rather it’s a way to see what is best for the self, and put it into action. Quite often, internalizing is an act gone without thought. Unconsciously changing for the better. In general, internalizing means to deal with problems on your own, without much assertiveness, while also keeping it on a low social manner. It’s an act where one is forced to contemplate, criticize, and correct their own problems. While still looking socially for answers, the best and easiest way is to figure it out on their own. Most often, one person is behaviorally stronger than another, so he or she that is weaker looks for comfort and consolidation in the stronger individual. This leads to internalization, where one can successfully figure out their own problems, which is more of what we need in our society. Sometimes internalizing can be categorized as bad, seeing that one can bottle up emotions and behavior if they cannot figure it out on their own, but the stronger individual in the situation can eventually help those people. Conformity is copying, or replicating for the better of them, while internalizing is acting on ones own thoughts for the better of themselves, thus making internalization a more understandable way of life.

            Compliance falls under the category of conformity because it’s still changing, while still internally disagreeing with the group. Having, cooperation and obedience are two main traits of being compliant. Usually, there is a dominance that influences the compliant being in one way or another. Although compliance is good in many situations, the person being compliant is quite often being put down in a weak and in a subordinate way. In our society, compliance is a virtue, and a sin. On one hand it’s very good to do what one is told, such as schoolwork, changing positioning in a sport, doing chores around the house, but on the other hand it brings unwanted commands such as peer pressure and many uncomfortable situations. It’s very different though to have a command and a comment, one is kind and caring, trying to improve the person, while another can be harsh and demeaning, meant to downgrade the person. This is very much like cooperation and obedience. Obedience sounds like a word you would use to describe a pet, they always do exactly what you tell them, which leaves little room for conformity and a lot for change of self. One cannot conform to be like someone they want to be like, rather they must conform to be like someone that they are forced to be like. Cooperation leaves plenty of room for conformity, one can change all they want because they are conforming to the person they want to conform to.

            In the new day and age, conformity is the best way to fit in. By following what others do, it regulates society, as we know it. It’s hard to have individuality, buts it’s easy to conform. Conformity is found in many little things, such as simple rules. School is one of those little things; it’s a requirement to go and pay attention and do your homework, but in reality, would anyone go if someone else didn’t go in the first place? Would  someone sign up for classes that none of their friends were taking? Would they like teachers that no one else likes just because they are the bigger person? Here’s the thing, their not. They’re going to take the same classes as their friends, and diss on the new teacher because that’s what everyone else is doing; that’s just how our society works. Since it’s not possible to truthfully pick the brain of a teenager in modern society, we must look at the teenager group as a whole, and watch them conform day to day just to fit in. It has actually become mainstream to conform. It has developed into a lifestyle, to unconsciously change look or behavior based on what everyone else is doing. No longer is it a decision; it seems to just happen. Although some may say it removes freethinking from our society, it only really destroys the mind if one lets it. If it is good in personal judgment but social pressure prevents one from doing it, it’s most likely bad. Also, if one thinks that something is bad but they do it anyway because of social pressure, it can be just as bad. But if one has their own opinions, they just know they are not up to the task, it can be a whole different story. If social pressure pushes the right direction, conformity can be good. Conformity is also good when opinions are criticized in the right way, making the idea better or more predominant. It really does take a lot of wisdom and experience to know what is good and bad, what is right and wrong. Even if someone believes their own thought, it’s hard to be absolutely sure that what was chosen is right. It simply is scary and lonely to be original. Conformity is what brings people together, through common thoughts, ideas, and actions. It regulates behavior through internalization, and keeps control through compliance. The complications of not conforming are far too much for society, so even if conformity is last choice, it seems the safest thing one can do, is conform.