conformity

Conformity is the act of people changing their behaviour or beliefs to fit in with a group’s standards, rules, or laws. This change can be caused by real (involving the physical presence of others) or imagined (involving the pressure of social norms/expectations) group pressure. This group pressure may occur in various ways such as bullying, persuasion, teasing, and criticism. A study performed by Herbet Kelman in 1958 concluded that there are three types of conformity: compliance, identification and internalisation. Compliance is only temporary and occurs when an individual conforms to the majority publicly even if they don’t agree in private. Identification is when an individual conforms to the expectations of a social role, e.g. nurses, police officers. Internalisation is when a person publicly changes their behaviour to fit in with the group, while also agreeing with them privately and is a permanent change.

In 1955 Deutsch and Gerrad identified two reasons for why people conform: normative conformity and informational conformity. Normative conformity is giving in to group pressure because a person wants to fit in with the group, whereas informative conformity occurs when a person lacks knowledge and looks to the group for guidance or if a person is in an unclear situation and compares their behaviour to their peers.

Conformity is an important factor in making our society run smoothly as it helps keep people in line and is one of the major reasons humans evolve and progress at such a fast rate. Following the rules and regulations when living within a society allows the group to progress and grow. Conformity is also important when it comes to following the rules as without the rules society would be a haphazard environment where no one would or could benefit. If there were no rules or consequences for breaking the rules then no-one in the group living in harmony or success so it’s important that people conform and abide by the rules. For example, people conform to the road rules nearly every day through things like driving on the left side of the road and following the speed limits.

Conformity results in a fair distribution of the workload among a society’s citizens. When everyone does their “fair share”, pays taxes and works towards a common goal it allows society to be successful. When people abide by the rules, work and pay taxes it makes it possible for “safety nets” to be a thing within a society. Safety nets assist in improving the lives of vulnerable families and individuals.

Makenzie Robertson illustrated by

and Seraphina Katta Hattie Gilpin Conformity can also help an individual get rid of their bad habits they’ve formed as they want to fit in with their peers. For example, it has been observed that anti-smoking campaigns have consistently been shown to be effective in reducing smoking prevalence and prompting quitting behaviours. Similarly, it can assist in building good habits as people observe the positive traits in the personalities that surround them. We conform to good habits everyday through things such as complying with school and road rules.

Conformity can be good at times but there are some downsides. People want to believe that societies are built on good morals and the overall good that humanity can achieve but this isn’t always the case. Nazi Germany is a prime example of people conforming to unjust morals and ideas as they took part in the genocide of millions of Jews. Many people in Germany during World War II stated they participated in the Holocaust because they were following the orders given to them. They followed principles that were unjust because they feared what would happen if they did not listen and conform. Conformity can encourage a lack of diversity and individualism as everyone wants to fit in. People fall into groups that they feel comfortable with and these groups then merge with others who have similar like-minded approaches to life. Communities get together into parties that share similar platforms that seek out a specific definition of success suited to them. If everyone were to live within the guidelines and belief systems of their society the world would be a very dull drab environment. This would also mean there wouldn’t be opportunities for change in the future and there would be the chance that society couldn’t move forward as they wish.

When people conform it’s so they can fit in with society and they may not actually enjoy how they’ve begun to live their life. They conform to societal norms, even if it means not being happy with who they are and how they’re living life. People are willing to sacrifice their individuality if it means they are accepted by their peers. But why is it that we feel obliged to do so? Perhaps this desire to fit in with everyone is one of the true motivations that underpins our society. If so, how far are you willing to go to fit in with the crowd?