Example Of Conformity Adaptation

‘Conformity’ is the most common adaptations, in which most people are conformists that strive for equality and acceptance by providing institutionalized means of achieving these goals (Merton, 1957). Although many of them are unlikely to realize their desires, they keep obeying the rules, and grin and bear it. When they unable to accept the goals of success, they are implanted that they did not work hard enough and should take responsibility of this. Students and ‘nine to five’ employees are representative examples for this adaptation (Winfree & Abadinsky, 2003). For Indigenous people in this mode, they might still have less material wealth and a lower social position by comparing with mainstream society members. While, individuals are relatively …show more content…
Most criminal activities are more likely to occur in this adaptation. For people who get stressed and frustrated due to not being successful, they might use illicit means to achieve material goals or monetary gains, or even behave violently against others. Nevertheless, this adaptation does not occur in all societies, instead, it only occurs in a system of putting great emphasis on cultural ethos and meanwhile, social norms rigorously restricting access to approved modes of obtaining the certain symbol of success for a large number of population (Merton, 1957, cited in Murphy & Robinson, 2008). Under this condition, innovation might lead to deviant behaviors with considerable scale. It is also asserted by Merton that the American Dream is an example that explained this adaptation. Conformity can be seen as the ideal modes of the American Dream, in which both the poor and the rich accept the same cultural goals and encouraged people to believe that everyone can sufficiently achieve the success through endeavors (Messner et al., 2007). While, in fact, the class structure and economic reality largely limited this goals. It is unrealistic for everyone or every society to acquire the means that required for success. This also related to …show more content…
These people make a more dramatic response the pressure of anomie. For these people, they live in society without sharing the frame of social values, so that they can only be included in the society in a fictional sense (Merton, 1968). Moreover, these people are strictly internalized and forced to alienate from the society. They are more likely to escape from the reality by using decadent attitude on both mental and physics. Individuals adapt in this way are more likely to behave antisocially, which also includes drug and alcohol abuse, and high rate of depression and suicide. It is observed by Durkheim that suicide can be regarded as the ‘ultimate retreat’ (Winfree & Abadinsky, 2003). In the context of Indigenous, this might apply to the Aborigines who do not have life goals and have poor access to being educated and to be employed. Both in past and at present, the clashes between multiple value systems have led structural exclusion and conflict to Aboriginals from mainstream