When individuals are asked why disobedience is so difficult for them their response may be that it isn't a matter of difficulty, but of avoiding unnecessary punishment. However, the person taking refuge in the act of disobedience may argue that it's easier to obtain happiness as long as their not caught. Disobedience and obedience actually coincide; therefore, both responses are contradictions of the other. If obedience gets individuals punished and maximize pleasure then how will an individual know when it is beneficiary to obey? They won't. In "Disobedience As a Psychological and Moral Problem," Erich Fromm states that "Whenever the principals which are obeyed and those which are disobeyed are irreconcilable, an act of obedience to one principle is necessary an act of disobedience to its counterpart and vice versa" (304). .
Common sense is often something individuals lack when it comes to pleasing a crowd. Humanity thrives off of the feedback of others and because of their desperation for attention people demonstrate foolishness. More often, that people don't realize their stupidity until someone points it out to them, but that's okay, they've gotten the attention they had craved. In the case of gang initiation the "groups" acknowledgment isn't the only reward people receive punishment can be unavoidable. In "Group Minds," Doris Lessing asks: "If we know that individuals will violate their own good common sense and moral codes in order to become accepted members of a group, why then can't we put this knowledge to good use and teach people to be weary of group pressure?" (265).
Since the beginning of time people have depicted themselves as being individuals in every sense of the word. However, their thoughts and reactions are influenced by how people think the majority will feel regarding their stand. In "The Lottery," author Shirley Jackson demonstrates how an entire town obeys a tradition such as annual murderer simply because the majority felt that they shouldn't disturb history.
