Upper-Intermediate |
Social Conformity, and Straying from the Social Norms

Standing out from the crowd

Warm-up | 'Just A Minute'

going with the flow

going against the grain

Beating around the bush

pulling someone's leg

Rub someone the wrong way

wear out/ outstay your welcome

Let the cat out of the bag

Play a joke by not telling the truth

go against the generally accepted practice or societal norms

Adhering to established guidelines or following societal norms.

do what others are doing or agree with their opinion

Be deliberately ambiguous or unclear. Avoiding the topic.

Stay too long or visit too often

Reveal a secret or surprise by accident

Irritate someone

Playing by the rules

be noticeable

Putting on a brave face

masking emotions or difficulties

Pushing the envelope

testing the limits of what is acceptable

Do you usually conform to social norms or rebel against them?
- Consider what are the customs/ traditions of your country or social group, etiquette, dress codes, gender/sexual/parental roles, communication aspects, behavioural aspects like punctuality and respect for the elderly, work ethics, avoiding social taboos, etc.
How do you choose your music or clothes?
- Does peer pressure have an influence on your choices (taste/ age / cost) or is it these choices which influence your choice of peers?
Do you ever gossip about others?
Is it possible to not be influenced by the opinions of thought leaders and influencers in life/on the telly/online? Do you believe we are programmed to follow a leader?
- What are the risks you take if you stray from the social norms?
- Do you believe society works better when societal rules exist and are respected?

Warm-up | Social Behaviour

Vocabulary | Social Behaviour

From an evolutionary standpoint, are we designed to conform to social norms?
In which situations is social conformity important?
Do most people think or act for themselves?
What important role does critical thinking play in our society?
What is the "curse of the herd"?
What are the dangers of growing up in a society which 'permits no strays'?

Reading | Curse of the Herd

Gwen Dewar, writer and anthropologist

From an evolutionary standpoint, are we designed to conform to social norms?
Yes, we are designed to conform, to adopt group norms, to share practical information.
In which situations is social conformity important?
To get along in society, to fit in, to avoid ostracism, and for social approval.
Do most people think or act for themselves?
No. Experiments show that we internalise popular attitudes and even change our opinion to match the majority.
What important role does critical thinking play in our society?
These skills allow us to question solutions, to fight against social pressures, and to improve situations such as our education and standard of living
What is the "curse of the herd"?
Pressure to conform.
What are the dangers of growing up in a society which 'permits no strays'?
We lose our ability to think for ourselves, tothink critically and innovatively.

Reading | Curse of the Herd,

ANSWERS

Are people more free in a society with a strong collective conscious, or an individualistic or fragmented society?
- Which do you live in, and which would you prefer to live in?
- Should the collective conscious be dictated?
  - How would decisions on societal norms and rules be made, and by whom?
Imagine you want to encourage bad actors in society to do change. Which of the following methods would work best in encouraging bad individuals to change their ways?:
- Creating common goals and emphasizing their positive impacts.
- Demonstrating exemplar behaviour and ethical conduct.
- Implementing a reward system, publicly recognising and celebrating efforts, and publicly shaming infractions.
- Creating an community where people can be supported and communicate openly and honestly about their failures.
- Creating a community watch programme, where the community watches out for bad behaviour and may confront bactors or collaborate with law enforcement
- Offering training for personal or professional growth opportunities
- Establishing accountability mechanisms, including penalties when standards are not adhered to.

Pre-Listening | Warm-up

Vocabulary | Social Behaviour

A flock of...
A swarm of...
A pod of...
A herd of...
A pride of...
A school of...

birds, cattle, fish, insects, lions, whales

Swarm relates to insects, and elicits images of infestation, plague, etc.

Listening | Riding the Herd Mentality

According to the extract, what are social norms?
How should we determine what to do in a social situation?
Explain the San Diego Energy Experiment.
- What did they want to find out?
- What did they do?
- What was written on the four signs?
- Which message had the most influence?
- What did they conclude?
Do the people interviewed in the experiment believe others influence them?
Explain the impact of their beliefs on social policy.
When does knowing what others are doing have a negative impact on us?
What was the Petrified National Park Problem?

6:07 - 16:46

Listening | Riding the Herd Mentality Answers

According to the extract, what are social norms?
Social norms are cues that suggest what is acceptable behaviour and what is not.
How should we determine what to do in a social situation?
We should look at what our peers are doing.
Explain the San Diego Energy Experiment.
- What did they want to find out?
  Researchers wanted to find out what would influence people to reduce their energy consumption.
- What did they do?
  They hung four different signs on people’s doors around the neighbourhood.
- What was written on the four signs?
  Reduce energy in home to save the environment. Reduce energy because your neighbours are doing it. Reduce energy for future generations. Reduce energy to save money.
- Which message had the most influence?
  Reduce energy because your neighbours are doing it.
- What did they conclude?
  What those around us do powerfully influences us.
Do the people interviewed in the experiment believe others influence them?
No, they want to see themselves as independent.
Explain the impact of their beliefs on social policy.
[Possible answer: In a position to influence positive behaviour, these people don't consider the impact of peer pressure.]
When does knowing what others are doing have a negative impact on us?
Public service messages that show undesirable behaviour appear to normalise and legitimise the behaviour and can actually encourage others to do it.
What was the Petrified National Park Problem?
People were stealing wood from the forest so they put a sign to deter this behaviour. The sign in fact encouraged more people to take the wood.

Grammar | Reported speech

"We measured their energy use" => He said...
- He said they had measured their energy use.
"What the heck does that mean?" => He asked...
- He asked what the heck that meant.
"Is that right?"
- He asked if that was right.

BUT,

"We [general population] all think we're above average [generally]" =>
- He said we all think we're above average generally.

Grammar | Reported speech

Talk to your partner about something they or other participants said during the class / about a discussion you had with a neighbour / about a debate your recently had with a friend.

Use reported speech.

Upper-Intermediate | Social Conformity

By Adam Wyett

Upper-Intermediate | Social Conformity

Adam Wyett PRO

I am an ESL teacher based in Saint Etienne, France. I use Slides to share and present my presentations live while teaching group-classes in lo-tech environments.