Conformity and Obedience The desire to be accepted and belong to a group is an undeniable human need. But how does this need affect an individual? Social psychologists have conducted numerous experiments and concluded that, through various forms of social influence, groups can change their members’ thoughts, feelings, and behavior. In her essay “Group Minds,” Doris Lessing discusses our paradoxical ability to call ourselves individuals and our inability to realize that groups define and influence …showed first 75 words of 947 total…

…showed last 75 words of 947 total…Longman Press. Lessing, Doris. “Group Minds.” In L. Behrens & L. J. Rosen (Eds). Writing and Reading Across the Curriculum. (pp.333-335). New York: Longman Press. Milgram, Stanley. “The Perils of Obedience.” In L. Behrens & L. J. Rosen (Eds). Writing and Reading Across the Curriculum. (pp.343-355). New York: Longman Press. Zimbardo, Philip. “The Stanford Prison Experiment.” In L. Behrens & L. J. Rosen (Eds). Writing and Reading Across the Curriculum. (pp.363-375). New York: Longman Press.