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Slide Notes

Joseph Cruz
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PRESENTATION OUTLINE




THE SCARLET LETTER
Nathaniel Hawthorne

Joseph Cruz
Period 5

Joseph Cruz
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Why is conformity destructive to society?

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The article, “The Relationship of Cognitive Emotional Regulation and Integrative Self-Knowledge with Conformity” by Javid Takjoo, and published by the Behavioral Research Center of SBMU, exemplifies the harms of conformity to society.

A main purpose of the article is to examine the negative relationship between cognitive emotion regulation with conformity.
Cognitive emotion regulation is the mental strategies people use to cope with emotionally stimulating information.

In the article, conformity is split into two major types.

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The article discusses normative conformity, in which people conform to the group to avoid rejection and achieve social harmony. Takjoo discusses the prevalence of conformity leading to disturbing outcomes for the individual— using substance abuse as an example— as well as conformity’s connection to larger-scale phenomena— even suggesting that conformity plays a role in some instances of terrorism.

In informative conformity, “the action of a person depends on the actions of others because [they] think that the others have a correct answer to the situation” (2).

In the Scarlet Letter, Hester throughout the story conforms to the pressures of the Puritan leaders and ideals as to appease to them and obey God’s wishes. It can be argued this is an example of normative conformity.
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Returning to the concept of cognitive emotion regulation: Many coping strategies exist to deal with stressful situations, one being: rumination, a maladaptive practice which involves dwelling on distress and its consequences, contributing to anxiety and worsening conditions.

The author writes that research suggests a relationship between emotion regulation and conformity; generally, reduced conformity is tied to higher emotion regulation, implying that heightened conformity would be tied to lower emotional regulation.

In our novel, The Scarlet Letter, Dimmesdale becomes haunted and obsessed with hiding his secret from the town. He feels pressure to meet the expectations to be a holy and devoted minister, and spirals further and further as his mental state declines.

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CONCLUSION:
Conformity, as displayed through the characters and conflicts of The Scarlet Letter, is extensive and harmful to society. Research and other evidence strongly supports this idea. The intense pressures to yield to societal standards creates an environment that can be destructive to individuals as well as relationships. It creates a culture focused on stigmas and hinders emotional regulation, inhibiting social and psychological wellness.

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