Conformity's Influence on Nationalism

Nationalism is a major social and political force that has heavily influenced many conflicts throughout the course of history. Pride in Germany in the 1940’s led to a (temporarily successful) coup of most of continental Europe, devotion to Serbia and its hatred of Austria caused the precipitating event of the “Great War,” and American patriotism led our country to invade Iraq. Nationalistic ideas have proven to be very efficient in uniting a given group of people for a specific cause, a feat that is, however, only accomplished through initial conformity of the group. The need to belong, the need for affirmation, and the existence of an outside group influence both nationalism and conformity and illustrate how nationalism promotes individuals to conform.

Firstly, nationalism is a social movement that emphasizes pride for one’s country and requires a recognition of and respect for the needs of the nation. It results in unifying a group behind a specific cause (especially a conflict or other matter of controversy), and is even considered to be the "decisive basis of political community" (Goodman 2). Conformity, however, deals with an individual’s decision to abandon his or her ideas in favor of the ideas of the group. It is the relationship between the two that allows nationalism to flourish, as it depends on conformity to be the mechanism of unification.

Two basic human needs, as defined by Susan Fisk—the need to be right and the need for approval—illustrate nationalism’s promotion of conformity as a tool to unite the group behind a given cause (Psychology of War lecture). The need to belong influences both nationalism and conformity in that the decisions we make (when an outside spectator exists) are based on the desire to “fit in.” As humans, we are validated by the fact that we have approval from others and a specific group with which we can identify. With conformity, the need to belong is a “powerful, fundamental and extremely pervasive motivation,” as is the need for approval (Baumeister and Leary 497). Both innate needs impact us significantly, often causing us to outwardly reject our beliefs and accept ones we would normally oppose. For instance, in an experiment conducted by Solomon Asch in the 1950’s, the mechanism of conformity was explored in the classroom setting. Three lines were drawn on a piece of paper, and the students were asked to identify which line was the shortest. Surprisingly, Asch found that 32% of students would knowingly provide the wrong answer so long as the other “students,” (who were actually working with Asch) did the same. Such findings suggest much about the powerful nature of conformity and its potential to accomplish real goals; even in the classroom setting when the participants knew the answer, the desire to belong actually surpassed the need to be right, convincing about 1/3 of the participants to betray their instincts (Hayes).

These same desires influence nationalism in a similar way, though more intensively, since more pressure is put on the individual to accept a certain point of view. In the Asch experiment, the pressure to conform came from the other students in the room. (We are all familiar with the classroom setting and the pressure created simply by the presence of our peers.) However, with nationalism, pressure emanates from a given political candidate, political authority, general, etc. Someone who has much more authority than the typical American pressures the general public into accepting a new point of view. For example, Stanley Milgram conducted an experiment that pitted the participants against other human beings (collaborating with Milgram). Sixty-five percent of participants agreed to administer a potentially dangerous “shock” to a victim sequestered in a different room. These victims (actually actors who received no shocks) pleaded with the participants, screamed loudly and seemingly in pain, but many of the participants continued to administer the “electrical shocks,” citing that a person of authority had instructed them to do so (Blass 70).

If a classroom setting can cause people to conform by deliberately saying an answer they knew was wrong, authority pressure can incite much more drastic results. With propaganda and political savvy, people in authority positions can induce conformity to nationalistic ideals, either through means of intimidation (as in the use of the secret police in the USSR and Nazi Germany), manipulation (i.e. nationalistic war posters that “sell” the cause as if it were a product), or even through the human needs described above. By applying some type of pressure, nationalism mimics conformity, promoting its tendency to unite a divided people.

Conformity and nationalism are closely related in that both unite individuals for a given topic, stem from the basic human needs of needing to belong and needing to be right, and are achieved when some type of pressure is exerted on the individual. Nationalism relies on conformity because without it (and the resulting unified front), nationalism is largely ineffective. Conformity exists on a large scale when nationalism takes root in a cause or idea that eventually becomes representative of the majority opinion.

For instance, consider one of the most blatant displays of nationalism and conformity in all of human history--the rise of power of the Nazi party in post-World War I Germany. Because of the harsh demands and restrictions (including occupation of the Ruhr valley, strict limitations on the size and supplies of the German army, territorial disputes, etc.) imposed upon the Germans by the Treaty of Versailles, widespread discontent swept the nation, and the Jews and the Allied Powers became the scapegoats. This dissatisfaction, combined with the nationalistic attitude that it was time for Germany's "place in the sun," allowed Hitler to convince an entire nation that the creation of the Third Reich was an attainable, admirable goal. Nationalism provided the initial interest in restoring Germany to its former glory and pressure from Hitler (applied through propaganda, repetition, and intimidation at the hands of the SS) provided the stimulus to conform. The result was a very united front that, had Hitler not invaded Russia, may have been much more successful at conquering Europe than it already was; the unity that existed had already allowed Germany to progress from a crippled nation to the premiere European country in a matter of twenty years. In any case, the rise of the Nazis in Germany illustrates the linked nature of nationalism and conformity and demonstrates their potential as unifying forces.

Works Cited:

Baumeister, Roy F, and Mark R Leary. "The need to belong: Desire for interpersonal attachments as a fundamental human motivation." Psychological Bulletin 117.3 (1995): 497. PsycINFO Database. ProQuest. UNF Library Jacksonville, FL. 17 Oct. 2008 http://proquest.umi.com/login.

Blass, Thomas. "The Man Who Shocked the World." Psychology Today (Mar.-Apr. 2002): 68-73. 17 Oct. 2008 http://www.stanleymilgram.com/pdf/pschology_today.pdf.

Goodman, James. "Nationalism and Globalism: Social Movement Responses." The International Scope Review 4.8 (2002): 1-17. University of Technology of Sydney. 17 Oct. 2008 http://www.grain.org/g/nationalism%20and%20globalism.pdf.

Hayes, Brian J. "Solomon Asch Experiment: A Study of Conformity." Age-of-the-Sage. May 2002. 17 Oct. 2008 .