Name Class

Conformity
Charlotte Harrison

About this text

Sometimes people change to fit in with a group. In this text, the author describes this process and explains how it affects society.

Purpose for Reading Vocabulary

To determine how an author develops a central idea about Let’s pronounce these words together as a class:
conformity to build our understanding about what makes
people follow the crowd. Impel [im-pel]
Individuality [in-duh-vij-oo-al-i-tee]

PARTNER READING DURING READING QUESTIONS

[1] Conformity, or acting the way most other people in one’s social group act, Paragraph 1
often grows out of a person’s desire for security and belonging in a group — Write: Define “conformity” in your own words.
usually a group of similar age, culture, religion, or educational background. Being
different from the group carries the risk of social rejection, a deep fear of many
people. The drive to conform is often particularly powerful for adolescents, for
whom acceptance by peers can be a primary goal, but it affects people of all ages.
However, some studies suggest that conformity decreases with age.
[2] Although the word often has a negative connotation, conformity is not
Paragraph 2
necessarily a bad thing. People’s tendency to conform helps society function
Turn & Talk: What are some other examples of how
smoothly in many ways. For example, when drivers follow the rules of the road, it
conformity helps society function smoothly?
enables safe transportation. If the members of a team conform to the norms
of interpersonal interaction, they enable effective communication and
collaboration.1

[3] Psychologist2 Herbert Kelman identified and labeled three major types of
Paragraph 3
conformity. The first, compliance, occurs when a person conforms publicly but
Write: Why is internalization “the most profound
privately keeps his or her own original beliefs. People comply because of a need
type of conformity”?
for approval from others and a fear of rejection. The second, identification, is
conforming to a particular person whom one respects, such as a friend or family
member. Identification is usually motivated by the role model’s perceived3
attractiveness or success. The third type of conformity, internalization, is when a
person has actually absorbed a group’s belief system and sees it as truly their
own, both publicly and privately. This is the most profound4 type of conformity
and is likely to stay with people for a long time.

1
Collaboration (noun): the act of working together
2
Psychologist (noun): a scientist who studies the mind and human behavior
3
Perceived (adjective): believed, understood
4
Profound (adjective): intense or deep

Unit 1: Following the Crowd 1

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[4] The strong force of conformity is well documented in psychological research.
In 1936, a researcher named Muzafer Sherif hypothesized that people would
change their opinions about something in order to conform to a larger group even
if they were among strangers. To test this hypothesis, he designed an experiment
which made use of the autokinetic effect.
[5] The autokinetic effect is caused by the fast, small movements of our eyes that
Paragraphs 5-6
happen as we look at a particular object. When a person is placed in a dark room
Turn & Talk: When Sherif asked his subjects how
that contains only a single small, stationary5 pinpoint of light, these eye
much the dot moved, what was the correct
movements produce an unusual effect: they make the point of light appear to
answer?
move.
[6] In Sherif’s experiment, he placed several people in a dark room one at a time
and asked them to stare at a small dot of light 15 feet away. They were then asked
to estimate the amount by which the dot of light moved (although it actually did
not move at all). On that first day, each person saw different degrees of
movement; sometimes their answers varied by as much as three inches. Sherif
then had the subjects return each day for three more days to repeat the
experiment. However, on the second, third, and fourth days, he would put three
people in a room together to observe the dot and give their answers.
Paragraph 7
[7] Sherif observed that, over the course of the three trials in which the subjects
Write: How did the subjects in Sherif’s experiment
sat together, their answers became more and more similar. On the final day, their
demonstrate conformity?
answers settled around a common norm (see graphic below).6 Sherif concluded
that this experiment demonstrated the way a norm develops in society, and how
people tend to give up their individuality in order to conform to that norm. Few
people desire to be an “outlier” whose opinion differs widely from what is typical
in the group.
Graphic
Write: Based on the graphic, which person in this
trial was most affected by social pressure? Explain.

Paragraph 8
[8] Researchers have also explored the “dark side” of conformity. The need to be
Turn & Talk: What is one example of conformity
accepted and the fear of punishment for deviating from group norms can, in many
making things worse in society? Explain your
cases, impel people to adopt negative attitudes or behaviors. A phenomenon
answer.
called the “spiral of silence” can occur when one opinion becomes entirely socially
dominant7 because those with other opinions are afraid to speak out. Human
history is rife with examples of the destructive power of mass conformity.

“Conformity” by Charlotte Harrison. Copyright © 2014 by CommonLit, Inc. This text is licensed under CC BY NC-SA 2.0.

5
Stationary (adjective): unmoving
6
Graphic and information from The Many Varieties of Conformity by Dr. Rajiv Jhangiani and Dr. Hammond Tarry is licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 4.0.
7
Dominant (adjective): most important, powerful, or influential

Unit 1: Following the Crowd 2

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 Name Class

Independent Practice
Directions: Answer the multiple choice questions for “Conformity.” 5 minutes

1. Which of the following best describes the central idea of the text? [RI.2]
A. Societies can maintain order without any forms of conformity.
B. People conform in order to fit in based on societal pressure.
C. People who conform lack individual independence.
D. Conforming is a conscious decision people make.

2. Which of the following best explains the relationship between compliance, identification, and internalization?
[RI.3]
A. Compliance, identification, and internalization are three types of conformity that range from most
intense to least intense.
B. Compliance, identification, and internalization are three types of conformity that range from
longest-lasting to shortest-lasting.
C. Compliance and identification occur when people begin to believe others’ ideas, while internalization
occurs when people pretend to change their personal beliefs.
D. Compliance occurs when people pretend to change their personal beliefs, while identification and
internalization occur when people begin to believe others’ ideas.

3. What theory was Muzafer Sherif testing in his experiment? [RI.3]

A. People will try to persuade others to accept a different point of view.
B. People will change their opinions to agree with others, even strangers.
C. People will change their opinions when their close acquaintances disagree.
D. People will always stand by their opinions when strangers disagree with them.

4. Based on paragraph 7, what is the best meaning of “norm”? [RI.4]

A. a fact that has been confirmed by evidence
B. a point about which there is disagreement
C. a point on which a group of people agrees
D. an idea that needs to be tested

5. How does paragraph 7 support the central idea of the text? [RI.5]
A. The experimental results reveal that people will conform even when they disagree with strangers.
B. The experimental results provide a counterargument to the author’s ideas about conformity.
C. Sherif’s experiment is an example of how scientists conform to popular scientific ideas.
D. Sherif’s experiment illustrates how difficult it is to test theories about conformity.

Unit 1: Following the Crowd 3

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Independent Practice
Directions: Answer the short response prompt for “Conformity.” 15 minutes

PROMPT: Do you agree with the following statement from paragraph 2: CHECKLIST FOR WRITING A
“conformity is not necessarily a bad thing”? Use evidence from the text and COMPLETE PARAGRAPH:
experiences from your life to support, challenge, or refine this claim. [RI.5]
❏ Did you begin with an argument
Make sure your paragraph is complete by: that clearly answers the prompt?
A. YES!
● starting with an argument that clearly answers the prompt
B. No, I will go back and
● including two pieces of evidence that support your argument
add that.
● explaining how your evidence supports your argument
❏ Did you include at least two
pieces of evidence that support
your argument?
A. YES!
B. No, I will go back and
add that.

❏ Did you explain how each piece

of evidence supports your
argument?
A. YES!
B. No, I will go back and
add that.

Unit 1: Following the Crowd 4

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Quick Partner Discussion
Directions: Discuss the questions with a partner. Record notes on both of your answers. Push yourselves
to use formal language and evidence from the text. 5 minutes

DISCUSSION RESOURCES
● Where does it say that in the text?
● Do you see different or conflicting ideas in the text? If so, where?
● What evidence do you have that supports that idea?
● What's an example of that?
● What other evidence/examples relate to that?
● What specific part are you referring to?

1. Why do you think people are so willing to give up their individuality and conform to a group?

2. CROSS-TEXTUAL: At the end of the story “Cheboygan Day,” how do you think Owen’s friends would have reacted
if he had been more confident in standing up for Adele rather than simply conforming to their beliefs about her?

Unit 1: Following the Crowd 5

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