Question

Explain, using examples how alienation and conformity can occur in a high school environment

Answer 1

Alienation and conformity occurs in a high school environment. The adolescent at high school activily participate in many activities in their high school besides their academic pursuance. Engaging in group activities as clubs, fine arts, athletics, sports etc are examples of conformity. The want to be popular and known, the peer pressure to conform to the trends of the high school environment plays an important role in making the adolescents participate in such activities. They follow their role models and conform to their values and norms, they also keep the norms of their peer group so that they are accepted and not questioned or shunned.

Those students who cannot keep up with trend in their school environment find a conflict between want they are expected of and what they expect to be. This conflict creates alienation. Example- A student who wants to know about a topic if questions frequently may not be viewed appropriately by his/her teacher and classmates. He/she may be thought of a too dependent, thus, the student may feel alienated. Similarly, when there is a clash between the expected learning outcomes and actual learning out come which could be poor, the student may feel down and different from others. This sense of alienation may result in the drop out of that student.