How far will a person go to fit into society? Will he change his appearance and act unlike he normally does just to gain the acceptance of his peers? These are two questions of many that Solomon Asch asks in his essay and experiment entitled, "Opinions and Social Pressure." Asch uses a number of examples to state his argument, including an experiment that was performed on college students to test their behavior when placed amongst their peers. Asch states his main question as, "How and to what extent do social forces constrain people's opinions and attitudes?" Asch continues through his essay to answer the question thoroughly. Asch states that society's influences help shape a person greatly. A person's region and cultural-base greatly determines what is socially acceptable and what is not. For instance, a society where cannibalism is widely accepted as a norm would be looked down on by western culture as barbaric and inhuman. Asch also states that it is important to study in which way humans form their ideas and roles in society. These ideas and the questions they raise are the purpose of Asch's studies and reporting essay.
             To state his case, Asch simply gives his audience the facts. His experiments is presented in a clear, indisputable form. The experiment was conducted to see how one college student reacted to going against the opinions of his peers. The answer the other college students gave was undeniably wrong, but because this one student was going against a majority he felt outcast, even embarrassed by his answer even if it was the correct one. Even though he may have felt deviant, according to Asch, the young gentleman was working effectively in society. Asch states that in order for a society to function correctly it must have "each individual contribute independently out of his experience and insight."
             I believe that the author presented his information well. It is stated ...