What is it that makes people slaves to their peer group and abandon any traces of individuality and uniqueness?We as human beings conform without even admitting to doing it. I remember my oldest daughter coming home with different color hair almost on a weekly basis; she also began to acquire piercings and use some very bizarre make up, finger nail polish that was black and her choice of music was absolute torture to my ears as I am one who is addicted to classical music.
I understood perfectly well her need to belong, to be accepted by her peers. I also understood that asking her to curb or desist of these unusual things were only my own imposition of my standards. I have always encouraged my kids to be individuals, to be different, to stand on their own and think for themselves.
But my question to her was simply this: You want to be different and yet you are conforming to your particular peer group’s choice in clothing, hair color, make up, body piercings and the like…are you not then conforming as well?” My point is that those who first had green hair were being different, but those who came after and did it were just copy-cats and conformists in their own right.But as Professor John C. Turner says conformity is not always the norm:
"Anyone who looks outside the window at daily events around the globe will find that [...] resistance, conflict and change are as normal as the sun rising." (Turner, 2006; p.42)”
Here are the ten timeless influencers of conformity:
Conformity and group size
One of the most important factors affecting whether or not people conform is the size of the group around them. Maximum conformity is seen when groups reach between 3 and 5 people.
Add more people and it makes little difference, less than 3, though, and conformity is substantially reduced (Bond, 2005).
Dissent
As soon as there's someone who disagrees, or even just dithers or can't decide, conformity is reduced. Some studies have found conformity can be reduced from highs of 97% on a visual judgment task down to only 36% when there is a competent dissenter in the ranks (Allen & Levine, 1971).
Dissenters must be consistent, though, otherwise they'll fail to convince the majority.
→ Related: how to fight groupthink with dissent.
Are they one of us?
People conform much more strongly to others who are in the same group as them. These influences are even stronger for attractive people who we like. Group size and dissent make little difference when the people themselves are not part of 'our' group. In fact we may even go out of our way to do the opposite of an out-group (David & Turner, 1996).
→ Related: in-groups, out groups and prejudice.
Conformity and mood
Moods can have complex effects on conformity, but there's some evidence that we're more likely to conform when we're in a good mood than a bad mood (Tong et al., 2007).
One dastardly emotional technique for increasing conformity is using fear-then-relief. Make someone afraid of something, then relieve that fear, then they're more likely to do what you want (Dolinski & Nawrat, 1998).
Need for structure
While personality might not be as important as the situation in which people are put, it none the less has an effect. Some people have more of a 'need for structure' and consequently are more likely to conform (Jugert et al., 2009).
Social approval
People use conformity to ingratiate themselves with others. Conforming also makes people feel better about themselves by bolstering self-confidence. Some people have a greater need for liking from others so are more likely to conform.
Have you noticed that no conformers are less likely to care what other people think of them? Nonconformity and self-confidence go hand-in-hand.
→ Related: the chameleon effect.
Conformity and culture
Collectivist cultures (typically East Asian) conform more because nonconformity is more strongly associated with deviance (Kim & Markus, 1999). Western cultures have more individualist attitudes so people from those cultures are less likely in general to conform.
Studies have shown average conformity rates in collectivist cultures of between 25% and 58% whereas average conformity in individualist cultures is between 14% and 39% (Smith & Bond, 1993).
Authority
When faced with an authority figure mere conformity can be transformed into obedience. Milgram's studies of obedience show that people will administer dangerous electric shocks if told to by a white-coated authority figure. People don't always blindly follow authority figures though; studies show a huge range in obedience, from 12% to 92% depending on the social context (Smith & Bond, 1993).
The abuse of people's deference to authority figures is central to the psychology of scams.
Social norms
Other people affect us even when they're not present. Whether or not we recycle, litter the street or evade tax often comes down to our perception of society's view. Most of us are strongly influenced by thinking about how others would behave in the same situation we are in, especially when we are unsure how to act (Cialdini, 2001 ).
The higher we perceive the level of consensus, the more we are swayed. We are also more easily swayed if we know little about the issue ourselves or can't be bothered to examine it carefully.
→ Related: group norms can kill creativity.
Conformity and reciprocation
The power of reciprocation is frequently undervalued, but it is incredibly strong and influential across all human cultures. On an everyday level it means that if I give you something, you feel compelled to give me something back.
When invited to a dinner party or wedding, we feel a strong compulsion to reciprocate, sometimes against our better judgment.*
A tulip doesn’t strive to impress anyone. It doesn’t struggle to be different than a rose. It doesn’t have to. It is different. And there’s room in the garden for every flower. You didn’t have to struggle to make your face different than anyone else’s on earth. It just is. You are unique because you were created that way. Look at little children in kindergarten. They’re all different without trying to be. As long as they’re unselfconsciously being themselves, they can’t help but shine. It’s only later, when children are taught to compete, to strive to be better than others, that their natural light becomes distorted.
~Marianne Williamson
Via AOMOasis
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