CONFORMITY

from Old French conformer "conform (to), agree (to), make or be similar, be
agreeable"

How does Psychology define Conformity?

Conformity is the most common and pervasive form of social influence. It is informally
defined as the tendency to act or think like members of a group. In psychology,
conformity is defined as the act of matching attitudes, beliefs, and behaviors to
group norms. 

How much do we conform? More than we think

Conformity is an essential social mechanism in society, and without it, we would not
have social norms and acceptable behavior. Every day of our lives, we somehow
exhibit conformity. Below are everyday examples of conformity:

1. Following the rules-such as wearing of the prescribed uniform inside the campus,
walking on the pedestrian lane and not just anywhere on the road

2. Fashion- What to wear and how to wear is the primary social norm to be followed
in today’s era. We are thoughtlessly following our fashion icons or other people. If
any of us try to wear which is odd than what society wears, we are considered to be
abnormal.

3. Career and Studies-It is the social norm, that straightway after completing senior
secondary education, we have to go to university for higher education like others are
doing.

Example: The global nursing Shortage in the 1990s enticed parents to convince their
children to take Nursing courses in college. Now, The Philippines is the largest
exporter of nurses in the world supplying 25% of all overseas nurses. An
Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development study reported that one of
every six foreign-born nurses in the OECD countries is from the Philippines. Of all
employed Filipino RNs, roughly 85% are working overseas
Conformity refers to pressures to behave in ways consistent with rules indicating
how we should or ought to behave. These rules are known as social norms, and they
often exert powerful effects on our behavior.

Conformity is:

• Essential to life

Humans, being complex animals, live in a society that functions as a whole. If

there is a mistake, the entire system may crumble. So, we are obligated to pay taxes
and respect the law so that we can stay together as a whole.

• Perfectly natural

Abraham Maslow's hierarchy theory shows acceptance as one of man's most

important goals in life. We naturally want to belong to something bigger. We naturally
want to be accepted by others. However, in modern terms this acceptance can only
be obtained by going further than natural conformity and stepping - rather leaping -
into popular conformity. At that certain stage we tend to follow the same trends in
style and personal taste, whether it be music, movies, or even morals.

• Psychological shelter

If we do not know what to do and are scared, we naturally follow the steps of
others so that we may eventually find a group to take shelter in. Conformity is, in a
sense, the remedy for isolation.

Factors Affecting Conformity

1. COHESIVENESS AND CONFORMITY: BEING INFLUENCED BY THOSE
WE LIKE
- one factor that strongly influences our tendency to conform—to go along with
whatever norms are operating in a given situation—is cohesiveness—the
extent to which we are attracted to a particular social group and want to
belong to it (e.g., Turner, 1991). The greater cohesiveness is, the more we
tend to follow the norms (i.e., rules) of the group.

2. CONFORMITY AND GROUP SIZE: WHY MORE IS BETTER WITH

RESPECT TO SOCIAL PRESSURE
- Another factor that produces similar effects is the size of the group that is
exerting influence. The larger the group—the greater the number of people
who behave in some specific way—the greater our tendency to conform and
“do as they do.”
 3. DESCRIPTIVE AND INJUNCTIVE SOCIAL NORMS: HOW NORMS
AFFECT BEHAVIOR
- Descriptive norms are ones that simply describe what most people do in a
given situation. They influence behavior by informing us about what is
generally seen as effective or adaptive in that situation. In contrast, injunctive
norms specify what ought to be done—what is approved or disapproved
behavior in a given situation. For instance, there is a strong injunctive norm
against cheating on exams—such behavior is considered to be ethically
wrong. The fact that some students disobey this norm does not change the
moral expectation that they should obey it. Both kinds of norms can exert
strong effects

SOCIAL FOUNDATIONS OF CONFORMITY: WHY WE OFTEN CHOOSE TO “GO

ALONG”

THE DESIRE TO BE LIKED

- How can we get others to like us?
- One important reason we conform, therefore, is this: we have learned that doing
so can help us win the approval and acceptance we crave. This source of conformity
is known as normative social influence, since it involves altering our behavior to meet
others’ expectations.

THE DESIRE TO BE RIGHT:

- But how can you establish the accuracy of your own political or social views, or
decide which hairstyle suits you best?
- We use their opinions and actions as guides for our own
- This basis for conformity is known as informational social influence, since it is
based on our tendency to depend on others as a source of information about many
aspects of the social world.

WHY WE CHOOSE NOT TO GO ALONG

A. Power as Shield to Conformity
- Ex: Personalities in Power (Government Officials)
B. People who doesn’t conform to gender stereotypes
C. People having the need to be unique