“Conformity is a form of social influence that involves a change in behavior or belief so that one can fit in with a certain group” (McLeod). Such a change is a response to imagined (which involves the pressure of expectations or social norms) or real (which involves the presence of others) group pressure. Another definition of conformity can be “yielding to group pressures”. Group pressure can take many forms, for example persuasion, teasing, bullying, criticism etc. Conformity is also referred to as group pressure or majority influence. The term conformity is mostly used to show an agreement to the position of the majority, and this is brought about by either by the desire to be liked or to fit in, or just to match a social role. The aim of this paper is to argue that conformity is among people because they always live in groups-work groups, family, political, religious and social groups. At the same instance, they are adjusted to obey authority. A conformist mentality makes it easy for people to be influenced by others. According to social psychologists a group is composed of more than two individuals who depend and interact with each other in some manner (Lessing). Examples of groups include a class, a football team, a cult etc. Groups normally have various similar features including: norms that determine the right behavior, roles assigned to individuals, which determine what responsibilities and behaviors people should undertake, a communication structure and a power structure, which determines how much influence and authority group members have. For example, a class has norms, like the time people should arrive in class. The role of the professor includes teaching, administering exams and inviting discussions. The ro... ... middle of paper ... ...t Use: The Relationship between Internet Use and Psychological Well-Being. Cyber Psychology & Behavior, 12 (4), 451-455. Moore, T., Clayton, R. & Anderson, R. (2009). The Economics of Online Crime. Journal of Economic Perspectives, 20 (3), 3-20. O’Dell, J. (2013). How Much Data Google & Facebook Have Stored About You. Venture Beat. Retrieved May 28, 2014, from: http://events.venturebeat.com Rausas, P. M., et al. (2011). Internet Matters: the Net’s Sweeping Impact on Growth, Jobs, and Prosperity. McKinsey Global Institute. Tyler, R. T. (2002). Is the Internet Changing Social Life? Journal of Social Issues, 58 (1), 195-205. United Nations. (2013). Comprehensive Study on Cybercrime. United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime. Young, B. (2006). A Study on the Effect of Internet Use and Social Capital on the Academic Performance. Development and Society, 35, 107-123.
2. Previous Research: There is a debate as to whether Internet use has a positive or negative impact in our social lives. One study found that for 40% of the college students in their sample, the Internet had been instrumental in the formation of new friendships. Moreover, 7% of their sample had used the Internet to find a romantic partner. The participants in the study claimed that one of the main benefits of communicating through the Internet was reduced social anxiety and shyness (Knox, 2001). In another study, there was evidence that lonely individuals were more likely to use email and the Internet in order to stay connected with others—in theory, giving them a healthier social life—however, evidence showed that heavy use had a negative social impact (Morahan-Martin, 2003). Finally, another study found that individuals comfortable or regularly involved in social gatherings reported more positive effects from Internet use than shy individuals less involved in their community (Kraut, 2002).
Conformity, or going along with the crowd, is a unique phenomenon that manifests itself in our thoughts and behaviors. It’s quite simple to identify countless examples of the power of conformity in virtually all aspects of social life. Conformity influences our opinions and relationships with others, often to a higher extent than we realize. It is posited that people generally conform to the group in order to fit in and avoid rejection or because they truly believe the group is more knowledgeable than they are. After analyzing numerous studies and experiments on the nature of conformity, one will find that the motive of social acceptance is the greatest driver of conformity.
Conformity is defined as the occurrence of people yielding to social pressures as a result of pressure from a group of their peers; when faced by the pressure to conform, people will alter their behaviour and actions to fit the norm demonstrated by their peers (Lilienfield et al., 2012). Conformity is studied so that is can be understood and used in society to facilitate positive outcomes, and help avoid situations where peoples’ predisposition to conform leads to negative consequences (Lilienfield et al., 2012). By understanding conformity and other social processes society as a whole is able to understand themselves better and motivates them to work on improving as a whole (Lilienfield et al., 2012).
“Social conformity has been practiced in societies around the world since ancient times,” and the reason it is so effective is that humans have an inherent need to be accepted as part of a group (Sadat). Furthermore, Hossna Sadat reports that:
The word conformity means changing your behaviour or attitudes to belong into society. Conformity is also known as ‘majority influence’. There are three types of conformity: Compliance is changing your behaviour to fit in with the public but not agreeing with it privately, Internalisation is changing your behaviour and believing it is right privately too, and finally Identification is changing behaviour to fit into a social role. There are two explanations as to why people conform: Normative social influence explains that people have a desire to be liked so they conform to fit in, and Informational social influence explains that people who have a desire to be right will conform and look at others for guidance.
There are two reason can explain why people conform .First one is normative social influence and information social influence . Normative social influence is one kind of type for social influence leading conformity ,people think that oth...
Conformity is a concept that has intrigued psychologists for decades; a concept that has been the foundation of numerous studies, books, and that has been subtly woven into the media. Most of the research done on conformity has to do with what can cause conforming behavior and when conforming behavior is most prevalent. There are generally two types of influences that can cause conforming behavior, informational social influences and normative social influence. Both deal with the when and why of conformity in society and what situations typically cause a group or one or two people to conform. The most powerful and dangerous type of conformity is conformity to authority, which can cause people to obey orders that they would normally not follow in any other situation. With that being said, informational social influence can fuel conforming behavior, especially in instances when the situation is a crisis, ambiguous, and when other people in the situation have authority or expertise.
Nie, N. H., & Erbring, L. (2005). Internet use decreases social interaction. In J. D. Torr, The internet (pp. 28-32-34). New York: Greenhaven.
The issue of the Internet having psychological benefits has two sides, as does any issue. James E. Katz and Philip Aspden present the yes side of this issue. Katz and Aspden used a national random telephone survey to back up their side on the issue. The survey conducted in October of 1995 compiled the individuals who took the survey into five specific groups. The groups consisted of those not aware of the Internet, non-users aware of the Internet, former users, recent users-those who started using the Internet in 1995, and longtime users-those who started using the Internet prior to 1995. The survey questioned community involvement (community, leisure, and religious,) involvement in existing communities (face to face, family, Internet,) and friendship formation (Internet and beyond.) They drew the conclusion that the Internet is helping to form new friendships and social relationships. Therefore, giving people the chance to join new groups and organizations other than those in their own community.
Though conformity is a humane feeling, many examples of conformity going wrong can be found throughout history. For example, multiple Germans conformed to follow Nazism and prosecuted millions of innocent Jews. Southern whites conformed to segregate thousands of African-Americans. By looking at multiple sources of literature, one can see conformity becomes unacceptable when innocent people are hurt and/or killed and affects the way one thinks or acts.
Elliot Aronson (2012) provides a definition of conformity, two social psychological processes that underlie a conformity and cited examples of reasons why people conform in the book, The Social Animal. Aronson (2012) defines a conformity as “a change in a person’s behavior or opinion as a result of real or imagined pressure from a person or group of people” (p.19). In accordance with Aronson’s (2012) definition of conformity, people do conform owing to the social influence, which are two main social psychological processes: belonging and getting information.
Rausas, M. P. D., Manyika, J., Hazan, E., Bughin, J, Chui, M., & Said, R. (2011). Internet matters: The Net's sweeping impact on growth, jobs, and prosperity. Retrieved on February 28th, 2014, from, http://www.mckinsey.com/insights/high_tech_telecoms_internet/internet_matters
Conformity refers to the tendency for people to change their perceptions, opinions and behaviour in ways that are consistent with group norms. It occurs when people are pressured and feel as they do not have a choice other than to conform to group norms. People also unintentionally conform because it is human nature to follow the dominant rhythm. Conformity is found in everyday social interactions and the way people live their lives. This can be viewed positively or negatively. Conformity in a positive perspective allows people to feel acceptance, belonging and safe. Contrasting, conformity inhibits a sense of uniqueness, individuality, and suppresses an individual’s ability to make good morals.
Costill, Albert. "25 Insane Social Media Facts - Search Engine Journal." Search Engine Journal. N.p., 10 Dec. 2013. Web. 21 Apr. 2014.
In the analysis of society in today's times, the motives of social change, control, and conformity provides the basis of how society controls human behavior. The ideals and expectations place onto people in modern society are established through means of control where people are expected to behave within a spectrum of normality and what society deems as acceptable behavior. Forms of social influence as simple as peer pressure and wanting to fit in transform into major controls of society like laws, law enforcement officers and the government as a whole. The way that people make sense of their environment is through formed first impressions, interpretations of other people's behavior and how that behavior affects their attitudes, stereotypes, and perceptions of other types of people. The overall impact of these ideas on individuals shows how conformity, persuasion, stereotypes, and culture affect how society maintains and changes social norms.