Abstract
This paper provides discussion and analysis of John Stuart Mill's "On Liberty," focusing on his conceptions of individuality and conformity and the effects of these two contrasting categories on society as a whole. Mill places great importance on a people's ability to exercise individual choice, arguing that our very humanity is defined by our ability to make our own decisions. One of the greatest champions of the power of the individual, Mill urges people to avoid conformity, or blind, unquestioning adherence to existing norms, even if those norms are archaic, and do not make logical sense within the context of contemporary society. Conformity, he argues, causes society to stagnate if societal constructions are never questioned or challenged, nothing will ever change and society will cease to progress. This paper examines Mill's theory as it applies to 19th century Britain and Western society in general (seen by Mill as in danger of succumbing to conformity), focusing on issues of censorship and the strict moral codes of the period.

From the Paper
"He argues that what renders a person human is his/her ability to choose, and that by blindly adhering to custom a person rejects his/her humanity and individuality. In order to be an individual, one must understand previous customs but then interpret them and, if necessary, change them to fit one's personal views and lifestyle. He places great value on individuality; not only is it crucial to the proper development of the human being, but to the development of society, for without it society will become stagnant and immobile. That is, if people stick to customs without questioning whether those customs are applicable to their lives and times and adjusting them appropriately, their societies will cease to progress. He applies his theories to 19th century Western society, warning that modern censorship and strict regulations hinder the development of the individual, and consequently the society. No greater responsibility, importance, and glory can be placed on individuality than are placed by Mill."

Tags:choice, unthinking, hero, worship

Abstract
This paper examines the role of priming on several social psychology behaviors including attitudes, judgements and conformity. The paper provides a description of priming and of each of the social behaviors discussed in the paper. The paper then focuses on describing past research that shows the ways in which priming affects these behaviors.

Table of Contents:
Introduction
Priming Attitudes/Judgments
Priming Social Conformity

From the Paper
"Schemas are cognitive representations of nonsocial and social objects that are stored in memory in associative networks. Activation of a schema increases its accessibility in the present and in the future. One way to activate a schema is through priming. Priming is any experience or mental activity that occurs prior to an event or situation and which increases the likelihood that relevant schema will be made more accessible. Such experiences or activities are referred to as primes and primes vary in the level of activation or accessibility they create. The minimum prime required to activate a schema is called the response threshold (Moskowitz, 2005). This can then affect a perception, judgment, and/or behavior by associative processes in memory. In this paper I will examine priming effects on judgments and social conformity by describing several relevant studies and their results."

Tags:conformity, behavior, influence

Abstract
This paper analyzes Thoreau's position on the necessity of both rebellion against government and conformity with certain social norms and mores. The paper refers to Thoreau's essay, on "Civil Disobedience" as the basis for his political beliefs.

From the Paper
"Henry David Thoreau introduces his essay "Civil Disobedience" with the assertion that in his view; "That government is best which governs least." In this simple and straightforward statement, Thoreau reveals that he is at heart a Libertarian who believes that small, unobtrusive, minimal government will provide the greatest amount of personal freedom and freedom of conscience to an individual. However, though he himself was hardly unwilling to rebel against what he considered unjust and unfair or simply wrong headed government, Thoreau saw a place..."

Tags:Henry David Thoreau, On Civil Disobedience, resistance, conformity

Abstract
An examination of how the themes of obedience and conformity are reflected in society, as well as in George Orwell's novel, "1984." The paper explains the nature of society's influence on the individual.

From the Paper
"In George Orwell's frightening account of a society not too far removed from our own we find ourselves considering the nature of society's influence upon the individual and how that might be affected via propaganda, rhetoric advertisement or authority. The same notions have been considered by psychologists for quite some time."

Tags:milgram, asch, lessing, conformity, obedience, 1984, 0rwell

Abstract
This paper discusses the pros and cons of pursuing a full inclusion policy of placing blind children in general education classrooms.

From the Paper
"Since the passage of the Individuals with Disability Education Act (IDEA) and its reauthorization, educators have confronted tremendous pressure to mainstream children with disabilities in deference to the IDEA's least restrictive environment (LRE) provision. Essentially, to the extent possible, children with disabilities, including blind children, should be educated alongside their non-disabled peers in general education classrooms."

Tags:Pros, and, Cons, of, Including, Blind, Children, in, Normal, Classroom, Settings

Abstract
This paper discusses three different poems that have the themes of rebellion and conformity. The poems by Helen Sorrell, Langston Hughes, and Nii Parkes have two themes in common. All three of these poems have the themes rebellion and conformity as their topics. The question addressed in these poems is whether to rebel against someone or to conform whether it is to another person or to society as a whole.

From the Paper
"The poems by Helen Sorrell, Langston Hughes, and Nii Parkes have two themes in common. All three of these poems have the themes rebellion and conformity as their topics. The question addressed in these poems is whether to rebel against someone or to conform whether it is to another person or to society as a whole. Langston Hughes was an African American who lived during a time when African Americans were not accepted in many places. In order to conform to society, Langston realized that many dreams of African Americans had to conform to the rules of society. Yet, Langston never conformed to society..."

Tags:conform, rebel, society

Abstract
The paper reviews studies on conformity to the standards of expected male or female behavior, and reveals that the more aggressive traits towards non-conformity are attributed to the male gender. The paper explores how shame is a related concept that increases the possibility of conformity and addresses the heightened awareness of looks and peer pressure during adolescence. The paper shows how studies have found that women conform more easily than men, but points out that there is a wide variance of conformity on a case by case level.

From the Paper
"Conformity has many levels and varieties and levels of compliance can vary greatly within the individual as well as have both subtle and overt element based on gender characteristics. Research has also shown that conformity can vary depending on the environment and circumstance, whether the issue is being tested immediately in front of a group where the individual is being put "on the spot" or on how the individual relates to the larger societal constraints in general. This relationship to society often involves not only conformity to certain social structures but conformity to the "norms" of both behaviors (law and order) as well as gender (conforming to typically male or female roles)."

Tags:adolescence, shame, peer, pressure

Abstract
This paper takes a look at various blind musicians and the contributions they have made to the music world. The paper discusses the life and work of Blind Tom, Stevie Wonder, Ray Charles and Blind Lemon Jefferson.

Outline:
Review and Discussion
Background and Overview
Contributions of Blind Musicians
Conclusion

From the Paper
"By the time he reached his majority, Blind Tom possessed a repertoire of hundreds of pieces, all contained in his memory alone. In would appear, that in this individual's case, the inability to see also accentuated his other auditory abilities: "Tom's memory extended to other auditory information besides music: he could repeat without error conversations of up to fifteen minutes that he had overheard. He could also sing back songs in French or German (which, of course, he could not understand) after only one hearing" (Winner, 1996, p. 134). While musical savants may be the rule rather than the exception when it comes to musical genius, there are some well-known examples of blind musical prodigies as well but these musicians have not received as much attention. According to Haroutounian (2000), musical prodigies in general typically reach an advanced stage of development quickly and are capable of pursuing professional careers at an early age; however, some musical prodigies tend to experience a sort of "mid-life crisis" when they reached adolescence: "What happens to the bird who sings and doesn't know how it sings? That's what happens to child prodigies. They wake up and ask themselves dangerous questions about how they do it -- and they have no answers" (Haroutounian, 2000, p. 3). Furthermore, Goldstein (1998) reports that most traditional colleges and universities are ill-prepared to address the special needs of musical prodigies in general and blind students in particular, so it is a wonder that there are any professional blind musicians at all, but some persevere and these individuals are discussed further below."

Tags:racism, civil, rights, blues, memory, sing, song, play, instrument, repertoire

Abstract
This paper analyzes the feelings and emotions of the townspeople in Shirley Jackson's tale of perverse ritual and strict conformity in "The Lottery." The author discusses the cruelty and blind obedience of certain characters, and the intense guilt and defiance felt by others in participating in the lottery.

From the Paper:

"In Shirley Jackson's The Lottery we see an exciting game of chance turn ugly, as the winner of this lottery is subsequently sentenced to death at the hands of the town people. The town runs amok with various rebellious, evil, and utterly insensitive people who lie in wait for their next annual victim. Playing the role of judges, juries, and executioners, many of Jackson's characters depict a strong underlying theme of the evil, prejudice, and rebellion that is so prevalent in our everyday lives. All the characters' roles, as well as their names, were precisely chosen in order to awaken our hearts and minds to the callousness and rebellion that lies at the heart of every man in the face of habitual conformity."

Tags:anne, hutchinson, tessie, dunbar, rock, warner, old, adams, summers

Abstract
This paper discusses youth criminology, explaining that it is complexly rooted in the idea that the youth are criminals not only through their choice of criminal behavior, but also because their refusal to conform makes their actions more likely to be criminalized by the powerful. The paper contends that in order to study youth criminology, it must be understood that youth are not like other criminals. In their unwillingness to blindly accept the dogmatic materialism and capitalistic system, youth are made criminals by a society that must paint all divergence as criminal activity. In this way, the society in power stays in power and maintains control.

From the Paper
"Culture is ideological in nature. That ideology comes from socioeconomic realities that affect the behavior of individuals within the society. Dominant culture makes this ideology seem "natural" so that it can criminalize all other behavior and maintain status quo."

Tags:sociology, summary, outline