In this chapter, you learned about experiments such as that of Solomon Asch, which were intended to test conformity. Work with a group of your classmates to design a simple test of conformity that we could use to contribute to our sociological knowledge of this phenomenon.
With a few classmates, construct a short dialogue between four members of a group that illustrates a case of groupthink where the process leads to an action that is unethical or illegal. Try to show in the dialogue the process by which pressures of group conformity unfold and draw in the members. Read the dialogue and discuss points at which different members might have challenged or dissented from the group’s decision-making.
List the types of economic, cultural, and social capital you possess and the social advantages or disadvantages you have in your community as a result of having these types of capital. Now consider if you were suddenly placed into a tribal community living in the Amazonian rain forest, into a wealthy community within a large urban city in China, or into a religious community within a rural area in the Middle East. How would your current economic, cultural, and social capital serve you in these new environments? What forms of capital would still be valuable and what forms would put you at a disadvantage? What forms of capital would be more useful than the ones you possess?
With a group of peers, make a list of a dozen people who you think are historically influential leaders. Debate how much you think these leaders’ powers were based on positional power versus personal power. Discuss whether there are patterns in the types of leadership power the leaders had and their social behavior, roles, and activities. Do certain types of leadership lend themselves more to one type of power than the other?
