CASE 048 - Social conditioning

Social conditioning refers to the sociological process of training individuals in a society to act or respond in a manner generally approved by the society in general and peer groups within society. The concept is stronger than that of socialization, which refers to the process of inheriting norms, customs and ideologies. Manifestations of social conditioning are vast, but they are generally categorized as social patterns and social structures including education, entertainment, popular culture, and family life. The social structure in which an individual finds him or herself influences and can determine their social actions and responses.
Social conditioning represents the environment and personal experience in the nature vs. nurture debate. Society in general and peer groups within society set the norms which shape the behavior of actors within the social system. Please read CASE 027 - The media. Social conditioning is sort of like an invisible hand that guides our motions, always present yet often going unnoticed. From what we eat to the way we style our hair and what clothes we pick out for the day, social conditioning has its hands buried heavily in our affairs and most of us don’t even realize it. While it would be nice to just wish it away, for most people their entire character is built around social conditioning. They lack the ability (and the backbone) to stand on their own two feet, and require society to guide them towards what they think is best instead of making those choices on their own.One of the biggest pitfalls to social conditioning is peer pressure and those that follow it. Other people who have already succumbed to social conditioning will generally try and pressure others into thinking and acting in a manner that’s similar to them. In other words, uniqueness is thrown out the window and following “what everyone else is doing” sort of becomes the norm. Smoking, taking drugs, watching eastenders, If you don't follow other people and what they are doing, people will leave you out and avoid conversations with you as you're "not cool"

Working Class Career Slave: Social Conditioning
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3oojcNNbuB4

Social Conditioning - How To Get Out Of The Matrix
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=swiw9eR9GJ8&feature=related