In Black No More, by George Schuyler, the main character, Max Disher, experiences a scientific procedure that changes his skin from black to white. Originally very proud of his African-American ancestry, he finds himself going from wanting to be white, to being grateful for being white, to feeling truly powerful over black people because he is white. Herbert C. Kelman contextualizes one way of seeing the striking changes in attitude that occurred in the United States in the 1930s, particularly in Black No More, by proposing that change of opinion is a process of conformity, identification, and internalization. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an original essay Kelman discusses this process of attitude change in his article "Conformity, Identification, and Internalization: Three Processes of Attitude Change," published in the Journal of Conflict Resolution in 1958. Professor of Social Ethics at Harvard University, Kelman he is known for meeting with opposing politicians to get both sides to converge on important issues. He is very knowledgeable about the process of social influence and this expertise is evident in his article. His ideas are significant because they provide a model for why Max, other characters in Black No More, and many people during the era of racial segregation in the 1930s experienced a complete change of heart and treated blacks in ways they would not have never thought they would. Max Disher's actions at the beginning of the novel can be explained by Kelman's first step in attitude change: conformity. This passage is characterized by an individual allowing social influence in hopes of receiving a favorable reaction from another person or group, as demonstrated by Max's strong desire to fit in with wealthy, high-status white men. In this phase of Kelman's model, the individual adopts the new behavior not because he believes in his ideals, but because he hopes to obtain rewards or approval. We see this from Max at the very beginning of the novel. He has very strong attitudes and desires about his race and thinks his life would be of much higher quality if he were not a black man. Max constantly desires to be white for the sole purpose of social acceptance, particularly from white women (i.e. Helen Givens). When Max is at the Honky Tonk Club in the novel's opening scene, he offers to buy white men alcohol in exchange for social acceptance: “How lucky! This was just the opportunity he had been waiting for. These people could invite them to their table” (Schuyler 4). He hopes that by doing what the white men ask, they will invite him to their table. He hates acting like a servant to these superior men, but he puts aside his pride for the sake of social approval. Unfortunately, this didn't work as expected. Because the white men ignored Max, he “went back to his table and looked at the group longingly” (Schuyler 4). Despite his obedience, his goal was not achieved. Shortly after Max receives the “Black No More” procedure and transforms into a white man, we see him act on Kelman's next attitude change step. Identification, Kelman describes, is the process of “accepting influence because one wants to establish or maintain a satisfying, self-defining relationship with another person or group” (Kelman 53). This process involves the individual taking on the role of another person, as seen in a very literal sense by Max becoming his suave, white alias Matthew Fisher. His new physical appearanceit already makes him feel like a brand new, more important and powerful human being: “The world was his oyster and he had the open sesame of a pig-colored skin! The reflection in the mirror gave him new life and strength” (Schuyler 14). Shortly after leaving the sanatorium, however, Matthew experiences confusion about who he should be dating and who knows him based on his new identity. “He was not known and did not belong to any organization” (Schuyler 36). He comes across a newspaper advertising the Knights of Nordica. “Here, Matthew thought, was just what he was looking for” (Schuyler 36). A previously very offensive organization to Max, he now sees it as an outlet to form relationships with people of his own kind. He expresses immediate interest and is fascinated by the social approval he receives upon entering. Speaking to Givens, Matthew exclaims that “it has always seemed to him that there was no issue in American life more important than that of preserving the integrity of the white race. We all know what has been the fate of those nations who have allowed their blood to be polluted by that of the inferior races” (Schuyler 38). Despite reciting this argument from a newspaper, this moment marks the shift in Matthew's attitude from tolerance of whites to approval of whites. This is the first time he expresses a segregated mentality, and despite the very performative quality of his monologue, these words catch the reader off guard coming out of Matthew's mouth. By saying these words out loud, he states to himself that this was the new attitude he should adopt. Being told previously hurtful things basically tricked him into thinking he believed them. This increases the depth with which he identifies with his new white self. Matthew elaborates on his acceptance of white supremacy when he speaks to the Knights of Nordica. “For an hour, Matthew told them out loud what they believed: that white skin was a sure sign of the possession of superior intellectual and moral qualities; that all negroes were inferior to them; that God intended the United States to be a white man's country and that with His help they could keep it that way; that their sons and brothers might inappropriately marry Negroes, if Black-No-More, Incorporated, were allowed to continue its dangerous activities” (Schuyler 45). Shortly thereafter, Matthew becomes one of the leaders of the Knights of Nordica. This type of change is also evident later in chapter 6, when several black leaders speak to the white audience on behalf of the Knights of Nordica. This tolerance of influence by social factors corresponds to the mentality of many liberal whites in the 1930s, who believed that whites were far supreme. Kelman's identification model speaks to this shift. The final stage of Kelman's model discusses internalization, which describes the deepest form of an individual's attitude change. He or she accepts the new behavior because the ideas it embodies are intrinsically rewarding. “He adopts the induced behavior because it is congruent with his value system” (Kelman 53). This internalization satisfaction comes from the content of the behavior, which results in a complete change in attitude. Although there are examples of this in the novel, such as Matthew declaring that he would kill his black child before people knew his true race, I don't think Kelman's idea of ​​true internalization is achieved, due to the complexity of the Matthew's attitude change is occurring. linked to his physical racial change. While Kelman's model provides an interesting perspective on the social influence of Black No More characters, it does not account for it.