Conformity

Group Influence in Action

“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.
In contexts where norms are more obvious, greater conformity by most people can
be expected compared to contexts like this where norms are less clear about what action
is the “correct” one.
The fact that we can predict others’ behavior (and our own) with considerable confidence
in these and many other situations illustrates the powerful and general effects of
pressures toward conformity—toward doing what we are expected to do in a given situation.
In some instances, social norms are stated explicitly and are quite detailed. For
instance, governments generally function through written constitutions and laws; chess
and other games have very specific rules; and signs in many public places (e.g., along highways,
in parks, at airports) describe expected behavior in considerable detail (e.g., Stop!;
No Swimming; No Parking; Keep Off the Grass). For instance, we all recognize such unstated
rules as “Don’t make noise during a concert” and “Try to look your best when going on a job
interview.” Regardless of whether social norms are explicit or implicit, formal or informal,
though, one fact is clear: Most people follow them most of the time. For instance, virtually
everyone regardless of personal political beliefs stands when the national anthem of their
country is played at sports events or other public gatherings. Similarly, few people visit
restaurants without leaving a tip for the server. In fact, so powerful is this social norm
that most people leave a tip of around 15 percent regardless of the quality of the service they
have received (Azar, 2007).
At first glance, this strong tendency toward conformity—toward going along with
society’s or a group’s expectations about how we should behave in various situations—
may seem objectionable. After all, it does place restrictions on personal freedom. Actually,
though, there is a strong basis for so much conformity: without it, we would quickly find
ourselves facing social chaos. Imagine what would happen outside movie theaters, stadiums,
or at supermarket checkout counters if people did not obey the norm “Form a line
and wait your turn.” And consider the danger to both drivers and pedestrians if there were
not clear and widely followed traffic regulations
Another reason people conform is, simply, to “look good” to others—to make a
positive impression on them. For instance, at work, many employees adopt what are
known as facades of conformity—the appearance of going along with the values and goals
of their organizations, even if they really do not (Hewlin, 2009).

How Much Do We Conform? More Than We Think

Conformity is a fact of social life. We tend to wear the same styles of clothing as our friends,
listen to the same music, see the same movies, and read the same books and magazines. Overall,
we feel much more comfortable when we are similar to our friends and family than when we are
different from them. But do we recognize just how much we are influenced in this way?
Research findings indicate that we do not. Rather, we think of ourselves as standing out in what
amounts to a crowd of sheep! Others may conform, but us? No way! In the United States, we
believe that we tend to be independent, and “do our own thing” regardless of others’ actions
experiments (several of which we review later), participants who conformed to the actions of
others often denied that they had been influenced, even though it was clear that they
were influenced.
More direct evidence for the fact that we believe we are less susceptible to conformity
pressure than other people is provided by research conducted by Pronin, Berger, and
Molouki (2007). They reasoned that people underestimate the impact of social influence
on their own actions because in trying to understand these actions, they tend to focus on
internal information rather than on the overt actions. As in the famous actor–observer difference
we each know much more about our own thoughts and feelings than we do about the thoughts
and feelings of others, so when we estimate how much they and we are influenced by conformity
pressure, we tend to conclude that social influence is less important in shaping our actions than
those of other people. For instance, we “know” that we choose to dress in popular styles because
we like them—not because others are wearing them. But when making the same judgment about
other people, we assume that they are “sheep” following the herd. Pronin and colleagues call this
the introspection illusion, to refer to the fact that often, conformity occurs nonconsciously,
and so escapes our introspection (or notice).
To test this reasoning, they conducted several studies. In one, participants read a series
of recommendations about student life and learned that these recommendations had been
endorsed or not endorsed by a group of fellow students. They then voted on each proposal
themselves, indicating whether they supported it or did not support it. This provided a
measure of their conformity to the panel’s recommendations. Students then rated the
extent to which they believed these recommendations had influenced
their own behavior, and also the behavior (i.e., voting) of
another student, whose answers they were shown. The stranger
agreed with the panel on precisely the same number of recommendations
as did the students, so they actually showed equal
conformity. But when they rated how much they and the other
person had conformed, results were clear: Participants in the study
rated the other person as being significantly more influenced than
they were (see Figure 8.3). In contrast, they viewed themselves as
being more influenced than the other person by the contents of
each proposal rather than the panel’s recommendations.
In short, it appears that although we show conformity in
many contexts—and for good reason!—we underestimate the
extent to which others’ actions influence us in this way. We
should add that this may be true to a greater extent in individualistic
cultures such as the United States; in such cultures,
people prefer to think of themselves as “lone wolves” in a world
of sheep. But in more collectivist societies, such as Japan, conforming
has no negative implications attached to it, and as a
result, people may be more willing to admit that they conform
because doing so is seen as a good thing!
Given the importance and prevalence of conformity, it is
surprising that it received relatively little attention in social psychology
until the 1950s.
Factors Affecting Conformity: Variables That
Determine the Extent to Which We “Go Along”
Asch’s research demonstrated the existence of powerful pressures toward conformity, but
even a moment’s reflection suggests that conformity does not occur to the same degree in
all settings. Why? In other words, what factors determine the extent to which individuals
yield to conformity pressure or resist it? Research findings suggest that many factors play
a role; here, we examine the ones that appear to be most important.
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.
This is hardly surprising: the more we value being a member of a group and want to
be accepted by the other members, the more we want to avoid doing anything that will
separate us from them. So prestigious fraternities and sororities can often extract very
high levels of conformity from would-be members (see Figure 8.5) who are very eager to
join these highly selective groups. Similarly, acting and looking like others is often a good
way to win their approval. So, in very basic terms, the more we like other people and want
to belong to the same group as they do, and the more we are uncertain of winning their
acceptance, the more we tend to conform (Crandall, 1988; Latane & L’Herrou, 1996;
Noel, Wann, & Branscombe, 1995). In other words, cohesiveness and the desire to be
accepted can be viewed as factors that intensify the tendency to conform. 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. Asch (1956) and other early researchers (e.g., Gerard, Wilhelmy, &
Conolley, 1968) found that conformity increases with group size, but only up to about
three or four members; beyond that point, it appears to level off or even decrease. However,
more recent research has failed to confirm these early findings concerning group
size (e.g., Bond & Smith, 1996). Instead, these later studies found that conformity tends to
increase with group size up to eight group members and beyond. In short, 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.”
DESCRIPTIVE AND INJUNCTIVE SOCIAL NORMS: HOW NORMS AFFECT
BEHAVIOR
Social norms, as we have already seen, can be formal or informal in nature—as different
as rules printed on large signs and informal guidelines such as “Don’t leave your shopping
cart in the middle of a parking spot outside a supermarket.” This is not the only way in
which norms differ, however. Another important distinction is that between descriptive
norms and injunctive norms (e.g., Cialdini, Kallgren, & Reno, 1991; Reno, Cialdini, &
Kallgren, 1993). 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
upon our behavior (e.g., Brown, 1998).
Since people obviously do disobey injunctive norms in many situations (they speed
on highways, cut into line in front of others), a key question is this: When, precisely, do
injunctive norms influence behavior? When are they likely to be obeyed? One answer is
provided by normative focus theory (e.g., Cialdini, Reno, & Kallgren, 1990). This theory
suggests that norms will influence behavior only to the extent that they are salient (i.e.,
relevant, significant) to the people involved at the time the behavior occurs.
In other words, people will obey injunctive norms only when they think about
them and see them as relevant to their own actions. This prediction has been verified
in many different studies (e.g., Reno, Cialdini & Kallgren, 1993; Kallgren, Reno, &
Cialdini, 2000), so it seems to be a general principle that norms influence our actions
primarily when we think about them and view them as relevant to our behavior. When,
in contrast, we do not think about them or view them as irrelevant, their effects are
much weaker, or even nonexistent (see Figure 8.6). In fact, this is one reason why people
sometimes disobey even strong injunctive norms: they don’t see these norms as applying
to them.
Social Foundations of Conformity
Why We Often Choose to Go Along
As we have just seen, several factors determine whether and to what extent conformity
occurs. Conformity is a basic fact of social life. Most people conform to the norms of their
groups or societies much, if not most, of the time. Why is this so? Why do people often choose to
go along with these social rules instead of resisting them? The answer seems to involve two
powerful motives possessed by all human beings: the desire to be liked or accepted by others and
the desire to be right—to have accurate understanding of the social world plus cognitive
processes that lead us to view conformity as fully justified.
NORMATIVE SOCIAL INFLUENCE: THE DESIRE TO BE LIKED
How can we get others to like us? This is one of the eternal puzzles of social life. One of the
most successful of these is to appear to be as similar to others as possible. From our earliest days,
we learn that agreeing with the people around us, and behaving as they do, causes them to like
us. Parents, teachers, friends, and others often heap praise and approval on us for showing such
similarity. 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: INFORMATIONAL SOCIAL INFLUENCE
To get answers of some questions ,we refer to other people. We use their opinions and actions as
guides for our own. Such reliance on others, in turn, is often a powerful source of the tendency to
conform. Other people’s actions and opinions define social reality for us, and we use these as a
guide for our own actions and opinions. 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.
Research evidence suggests that because our motivation to be correct or accurate
is very strong, informational social influence is a powerful source of conformity.

Asch’s Research on Conformity:

 Social Pressure—the Irresistible Force?
Suppose that just before an important math exam, you discover that your answer to a
homework problem—a problem of the type that will be on the test—is different from
that obtained by one of your friends. How would you react? Probably with some concern.
Now imagine that you learn that a second person’s answer, too, is different from yours.
To make matters worse, it agrees with the answer reported by the first person. How
would you feel now? The chances are good that your anxiety will increase. Next, you
discover that a third person agrees with the other two. At this point, you know that you
are in big trouble. Which answer should you accept? Yours or the one obtained by these
three other people? The exam is about to start, so you have to decide quickly.
Life is filled with such dilemmas—instances in which we discover that our own judgments,
actions, or conclusions are different from those reached by other people. What do
we do in such situations? Important insights into our behavior were provided by studies
conducted by Solomon Asch (1951, 1955).
Asch created a compelling social dilemma for his participants whose task was ostensibly
to simply respond to a series of perceptual problems.
On each of the problems, participants were to indicate which of three comparison lines
matched a standard line in length. Several other people (usually six to eight) were also
present during the session, but unknown to the real participant, all were assistants of the
experimenter. On certain occasions known as critical trials (12 out of the 18 problems) the
accomplices offered answers that were clearly wrong; they unanimously chose the wrong
line as a match for the standard line. Moreover, they stated their answers before the real
participants responded. Thus, on these critical trials, the people in Asch’s study faced precisely
the type of dilemma described above. Should they go along with the other individuals
present or stick to their own judgments? The judgments seemed to be very simple ones,
so the fact that other people agreed on an answer different from the one the participants
preferred was truly puzzling.

Results were clear, A large majority of the people in Asch’s research chose conformity.
Across several different studies, fully 76 percent of those tested went along with the group’s
false answers at least once; and overall, they voiced agreement with these errors 37 percent of
the time. In contrast, only 5 percent of the participants in a control group, who responded to the
same problems alone, made such errors. Of course, there were large individual differences in this
respect. Almost 25 percent of the participants never yielded to the group pressure. (We have
more to say about such people soon.) At the other extreme, some individuals went along with the
majority nearly all the time. When Asch questioned them, some of these people stated: “I am
wrong, they are right”; they had little confidence in their own judgments. Most, however, said
they felt that the other people present were suffering from an optical illusion or were merely
sheep following the responses of the first person. Yet, when it was their turn, these people, too,
went along with the group. They knew that the others were wrong (or at least, probably wrong),
but they couldn’t bring themselves to disagree with them. In further studies, Asch (1959, 1956)
investigated the effects of shattering the group’s unanimity by having one of the accomplices
break with the others. In one study, this person gave the correct answer, becoming an “ally” of
the real participant; in another study, he chose an answer in between the one given by the group
and the correct one; and in a third, he chose the answer that was even more incorrect than that
chosen by the majority. In the latter two conditions, in other words, he broke from the group but
still disagreed with the real participants. Results indicated that conformity was reduced under all
three conditions. However, somewhat surprisingly, this reduction was greatest when the
dissenting assistant expressed views even more extreme (and wrong) than the majority. Together,
these findings suggest that it is the unanimity of the group that is crucial; once it is broken, no
matter how, resisting group pressure becomes much easier.
There’s one more aspect of Asch’s research that is important to mention. In later
studies, he repeated his basic procedure, but with one important change: Instead of stating
their answers out loud, participants wrote them down on a piece of paper. As you might
guess, conformity dropped sharply because the participants didn’t have to display the fact
that they disagreed with the other people present. This finding points to the importance
of distinguishing between public conformity—doing or saying what others around us say
or do—and private acceptance—actually coming to feel or think as others do. Often, it
appears, we follow social norms overtly, but don’t actually change our private views (Maas
& Clark, 1984). This distinction between public conformity and private acceptance is an
important concept to understand.

List of the Pros of Conformity in Society

1. Conformity can help you abandon your bad habits.
Peer groups can do an excellent job of helping you remove the bad habits from your life. If
you happen to always arrive late for an event or meeting, then the pressure placed by the
group to make changes in your life that stop this issue can help you make positive changes
to your behaviors. Even if the only reason why you make these changes is to be liked by
your peer group, the outcome still creates a positive result in your life.
2. Conformity helps you to reveal the unknown.
There are many children who grew up under the watchful eye of their parents in the shelter
and home life. They were not exposed to the pros and cons of each decision that the world
offers. When are you coming to contact with your peers from this type of environment, you
will discover what they like and what they dislike. You will then become familiar with their
reactions in specific situations. This process gives you more information about human
behavioral patterns, which can lead to insights in your own life. It will offer to help you make
better decisions because you have more information to use.
3. Conformity can help you develop good habits.
People are observational. Whether you’re at work, at school, or even a religious gathering,
you are observing the positive traits in the personalities that surround you. What you
experience in the circumstances will motivate you to create positive habits in your own daily
routine that generate positive results. If you see someone who walks their dog around the
neighborhood every morning for exercise, that might inspire you to do something similar.

When we see other people making positive choices, we want to join along with that activity
because the benefits of a positive outcome outweigh the risks of experiencing an adverse
circumstance.

4. Conformity aids in rule enforcement.

Every society has rules for people to follow for a specific purpose. If we were to live
somewhere allowed anyone to set their own expectations for what their life should be, then
we would create a challenging place where it would be difficult for anyone to find success.
The rules of a society are enforced through the processes of conformity. We work with one
another to make sure that everyone has a fair chance to meet their goals. We create
penalties for those who do not follow those rules to ensure harmony can occur.
This process happens in every society. Even friendships set rules that have consequences
if someone breaks them. We place pressure on one another because it helps us to
succeed, while we also get an opportunity to help everyone else find success too.

5. Conformity offers protection against outside threats.

When someone conforms to society, they receive protection from other outside threats that
could impact their lives and negative ways. We know for a fact that there is strength in
numbers. Our ancestors had to form societies to protect themselves against wild animals
and other tribes. Today, we do the same thing by developing nations, communities, and
neighborhoods to ensure our mutual survival. When each member stays strong and
conforms set the expectations of everyone else, there was a natural wall of protection that
forms.
6. Conformity creates a safety net.
There will always be people who choose not to conform to society. Those that do choose to
take this action help those who decide not to follow the rules because they continue to live
within a realm of social acceptability. This activity creates a safe place for everyone to live.
There are numerous ways that these structures are implemented, with many of them
administered through social programs that are overseen by the government. We often
agree that our personal definition of success is due to the ability we have as a group to care
for everyone when they are in need.
7. Conformity makes the work easier for everyone.
The goal of conforming to society is one that seeks eternal harmony. People who choose to
take this path want to see their society continue to benefit others in positive ways. One of
the outcomes of this process is to distribute work fairly throughout the group. Everyone pays
their fair share in productivity, taxation, and even volunteerism. The group sees that there is
a greater good which can be achieved when everyone works together to accomplish a goal.

List of the Cons of Conformity in Society

1. Conformity often hampers personal progress.
The company that a person chooses to keep becomes a direct reflection of the success that
they’re able to achieve. If you surround yourself with positive influences, then your desire for
conformity will create beneficial outcomes for you. The opposite occurs if you surround
yourself with negative peers. Bad influences can ruin your chances at success in a variety
of ways. Students might find that conformity, for example, leads them to smoke or use
drugs against their will because they want to be excepted by their peer group. That can lead
to health issues and poor grades.
2. Conformity increases the chances of depression.
The fear of social rejection is something that most people face at least once in their lives. It
creates a feeling that compels you to blindly follow the people that you want to have like
you. Most don’t even give it a second thought. The moment that you express an opinion in
front of this group that doesn’t jive with what the majority believes is right, then there is a
good chance that negative influences will be placed upon you to change your mind. If you
succumb to this pressure, then the emotional reaction in either direction increases the
chances of depression forming over time.
3. Conformity causes you to lose your identity.
The actions that groups play some individuals to make them conform creates a dangerous
issue because it forces a loss of personal identity. Each person is uniquely different from
every other. You might choose to go to a party and be the designated driver because you
don’t like alcohol. If your friend starts teasing you because you’re not drinking like they are,
however, then you can be coaxed into doing something that you don’t want to do. That
means you’re behaving in a way that is contrary to what your value systems dictate.
4. Conformity doesn’t encourage change in the world.
Although conformity in society encourages individuals to make changes that bring them
closer to the majority, the reality of this process is that it doesn’t impact mobile societies.
We do not experience change as a group because there is a preference to not “rock the
boat.” There must be people who are unwilling to change in any circumstance to drive
results.
You must have access to a system of checks and balances within our society to help
determine a fair definition of equality. If everyone were to conform to do the same thing all
the time without questioning the rules, it would be challenging to find moments of
innovation.

5. Conformity can create an unjust world.

We want to think that all societies are based on the overall good that humanity can achieve.
The reality of life is that things are very different. All one has to do is look at the impact of
Nazi Germany on the world in the 20th century to understand that power can be used for
evil just as it can be used for good. There is no excuse for someone to conform to society
when the outcome harms others. Many in Germany during World War II set they
participated in the Holocaust because they were following orders. That’s conformity.
6. Conformity can lead to dependence.
When people choose to conform to groups instead of turning their own course, they begin to
give things over to the Society to which they want to belong. This process often occurs
without the person even giving that element of their life a second thought. Although it is a
good thing for society to experience the talents and skills that someone can bring to it, there
must also be a consideration for independent thought. Blindly handing over your assets for
social gratification only benefits the people who receive those items.
7. Conformity often leads to apathy.
The desire for conformity on an individual level often creates a group apathy that becomes
prevalent in society. The people who try to conform often feel like they can do the same
things that the groups they observe are doing in the current moment. When they are on able
to achieve that success, they look to a higher power to handle whatever problems they feel
are impacting their efforts. Blind trust always creates problems in a society. It also
generates feelings were people decide that issues are not their problem. They decided that
everyone else should handle the situation and place pressure on others just as their
preferred groups place it on them.
8. Conformity encourages a lack of diversity.
The action of conformity in society will always reduce diversity. People will be getting
filtering toward groups that make them feel comfortable. Groups will then combine with
others to create communities that share like-minded approaches. Communities get together
into parties that share similar platforms that seek out a specific definition of success.
Without checks and balances on the systems, the guidelines and believes that people
would have would eventually all become the same. There would be no color in the world.
The pros and cons of conformity in society show us that we need people who “go along to
get along” just like we require some individuals to have the courage to step out on their
own. When we have both groups active at any relationship level, then there is balance to
the group. Conformists cannot exist without others who are unwilling to make changes.
There must be rules – and we must have rule breakers.