Conformity In 12 Angry Men

“We constantly modify our behavior, beliefs, and attitudes according to what we perceive about the people around us.” The latter concept of psychology coined by psychologist Marc Breedlove can be largely attributed to all people in their daily lives. The depiction of this is seen in a variety of different manners, one of these being in film. One such of these is the critically acclaimed film, 12 Angry Men, directed by Sidney Lumet based on the screenplay of the same title by Reginald Rose. Just as the film title suggests, an ensemble of 12 diverse men who are jurors for a murder trial are confined to a jury room until a unanimous decision is made. Behind their decision lies the fate of the young man being accused of murdering his father, who …show more content…
The first phenomena, and perhaps one of the ones most widely seen throughout the film is that of the effects of conformity in a group dynamic setting. The definitions of conformity vary, but ultimately we conform to others when perceived or real pressure from them causes us to act differently than we would if we were to be alone. (Cialdini and Trost 1998) This is evident in many scenes throughout 12 Angry Men. The first incidence of this phenomena in the film is in the very beginning, when the entire group agrees to take the first open ballot, which turns out to be 11 for guilty and only 1 for not guilty. There is a clear depiction of conformity as Juror 1 asks those who vote not guilty to raise their hand. What we immediately see is the disconcerted faces as not all hands go up at once, but instead there is a pause where some look around at each other. You can clearly see the pressure which must be felt, not wanting to be the odd ones out, wanting to fit in they raise their hands in unison simply because the