Ethnic Group and Conflict

Ethnic Group Conflict

Cultural Conformity

Conformity is a form of social influence in which individuals change his or her attitudes and behavior to hold on to a group or social norm (Shiaev & Levy, 2010). Social psychology explains that human conformity as the need to accommodate the majority, and maintain positive relationships. People conform to break away from sanctions or to live up to the expectations of others when they want to remain in good graces, especially when it represents a majority (Shiaev & Levy, 2010). People use judgment when it comes to conformity when negative consequence will be the result. For example when European women visit Muslim country, she will cover her head with a scarf not because she is required to but to eliminate negative results (Shiaev & Levy, 2010).

Palestinian and Israeli conflict act according to their individual religious doctrine and religious and political conformity is of significant consequence to citizenship in either of these areas. In both Judaism and Islamic cultures, consistency in religious attitudes is much more complex and precise than in other religions and demands following the rules and expectations of religious norms and leadership ("Ethnic Group Conflict," 2011). Because of the strict religious conformity, there is little flexibility in attitudes, and beliefs well embedded into the cultural fabric of the group. Although religious and political conflict exists between Muslim and Jewish religions, some of the current issues concern extremist groups from either side who determine their own set of usually violent rules of cultural conformity. Severe differences in religious relationship continue to separate the two sides ("Ethnic Group Conflict," 2011). Whereas Palestinians are primarily Muslim, the majority of Israelis are Jewish. Muslim and Jewish religion has continued to maintain a consistently vital role in shaping the cultures and lifestyles in both cultures. Religion is a cultural...